AAP Policy and Publications

Adjustment and Coping

Feelings Need Check Ups Too – Toolkit and CD ROM that address the mental health needs of children following catastrophic events.
Financial Crisis – Provides resources that encourage pediatricians, families, and communities to work together to ensure that children’s basic needs are met during challenging economic times.
Media Violence - This policy statement encourages pediatricians to assess their patients' level of media exposure and to advocate for a safer media environment for children.
Responding to Children's Emotional Needs – Tips for communicating with children in ways that allow them to better understand and recover from traumatic events. Also available in Spanish.

General Preparedness

AAP Family Readiness Kit – Helps prepare families for most kinds of disasters. Available in Spanish, or download the 4 Steps to Safety Readiness in Creole.
Infant Nutrition During a Disaster: Breastfeeding and Other Options – An algorithm to guide decision making about infant feeding during a disaster.
Preparation for Emergencies in the Offices of Pediatricians and Pediatric Primary Care Providers – Policy statement that provides information on office-based assessment, parent and patient education, preparing the office and personnel, emergency equipment and medications, professional skills, handling documentation, working with emergency medical services personnel, and ways to advocate for high-quality care at a systems level.
The Pediatrician and Disaster Preparedness – Policy statement that describes issues and scenarios pediatricians should consider as they manage family concerns about disaster preparedness, prepare their offices, and determine ways to help their community prepare for and respond to a disaster.
The Youngest Victims: Disaster Preparedness to Meet Children's Needs – Why children need special considerations during a disaster.

Hospitals/Emergency Care

Care of Children in the Emergency Department: Guidelines for Preparedness – This policy statement provides recommendations on caring for children in the emergency department and details on how hospitals can have the appropriate equipment, staff, and policies to provide quality care for children, especially those with special needs or life-threatening emergencies.
Guidelines for Care of Children in the Emergency Department – A checklist to determine whether an emergency department is prepared to care for children.
Pediatric Patient Safety in the Emergency Department – Strategies and advice on creating a safe, effective, pediatric-friendly emergency department.

Influenza and Infectious Diseases

Curriculum for Managing Infectious Diseases in Early Education and Child Care Settings: Additional Resources – Strategies and resources that can be used to improve preparedness for pandemic influenza within child care settings.
Influenza Prevention and Control: Special Considerations for Newborns and Very Young Infants – Provides answers to common questions about influenza in newborns and infants younger than 12 months of age. (AAP and CDC)
Infection Prevention and Control in Pediatric Ambulatory Settings – Policy statement that identifies infection prevention and control as an integral part of pediatric practice in ambulatory medical settings and hospitals.
Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools: A Quick Reference Guide – Hand Hygiene and Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Other Infectious Disease Emergencies

Natural Disasters

Clinician Recommendations Regarding Return of Children to Areas Impacted by Flooding and/or Hurricanes – A fact sheet with a list of conditions that need to be met before children return to areas impacted by flooding or a hurricane and other key resources related to flood recovery.
Environmental Hazards for Children in the Aftermath of Wildfires – Preparing families for hazards children will face in the aftermath or recovery phase of a wildfire. Spanish Version (AAP/Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units)
Health Risks of Wildfires for Children - Acute Phase – Preparing families for the hazards children will face during the acute phase of a wildfire. Spanish Version (AAP/Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units)
Information for Clinicians on the Oil Spill Affecting the Gulf Coast – Information for clinicians to protect children against oil exposures. Vietnamese version. (AAP/Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units)
Information on Gulf Coast Oil Spill for Parents and Community Members Steps to protect children against oil exposures. Vietnamese version (AAP/Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units)
Spectrum of Noninfectious Health Effects From Molds – Exposure to mold can occur through inhalation, ingestion, and touching moldy surfaces. This policy statement examines evidence of fungal-related illnesses and the unique aspects of mold exposure to children, which can be a concern after flooding.

Schools

Disaster Planning for Schools – Policy statement on disaster preparedness in schools as part of a global, community-wide preparedness plan.
Medical Emergencies Occurring at School – Policy statement to increase pediatrician awareness of school roles in preparing for individual student emergencies and provides recommendations for supporting school personnel.

Terrorism and Agents

Chemical-Biological Terrorism and its Impact on Children – Policy statement that provides recommendations for pediatricians and public health agencies on biological and chemical agents and their effects on children.
Pediatric Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness: A Resource for Pediatricians Practical resources that pediatricians can consult in planning for and responding to natural disasters and bioterrorist events. (AAP/AHRQ)
Psychosocial Implications of Disaster or Terrorism on Children – Policy statement that describes children's responses to disasters, risk factors for adverse reactions, and strategies to lessen the effects of disaster on children.
Radiation Disasters and Children – Policy statement for pediatricians on radiation disasters and their impact on children.