Safer emergency care for children in rural areas

Reducing Disparities for Children in Rural Emergency Resuscitation (RESCU-ER)

NIH-funded research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · NIH-11141225

This project aims to improve emergency response and survival for infants and children in rural communities who need ambulance or first-responder help.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Boston, United States)
Project IDNIH-11141225 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

From a parent's view, researchers will compare how often and why children in rural areas experience life-threatening emergencies compared with children in cities. They will link EMS (ambulance/first-responder) records with hospital outcomes and other health data to see where problems and deaths occur. Trained reviewers will identify adverse safety events during out-of-hospital care and highlight which steps could be changed. The team will work with EMS agencies to characterize modifiable factors that might improve stabilization, transport, and survival for rural children.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Children aged 0–11 from rural communities who require EMS response for emergencies (and their caregivers) are the most directly relevant participants or beneficiaries.

Not a fit: Children who never need EMS care or those exclusively treated in urban systems are less likely to be involved or to directly benefit from the findings.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make prehospital care safer and reduce deaths among infants and children in rural communities.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research in urban EMS found many adverse safety events in out-of-hospital pediatric care, but applying these methods to rural settings is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Boston, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.