Preparedness Builds Healthcare Resilience

PREPAREDNESS ISN’T about fear — it’s about resilience. From pandemics that strain health systems to emergency rooms to serve pediatric populations and the very real possibility of adverse drug effects, today’s healthcare landscape demands that providers think a step ahead. Rather than reacting in moments of crisis, it’s essential to implement proactive planning and essential safeguards. 

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed major gaps in international and national preparedness, equity and coordination. In response, as we explain in our article “WHO and CDC: Preparing for the Next Pandemic” (p.22), the World Health Organization adopted a new Pandemic Agreement in May 2025 aimed at strengthening prevention, preparedness and response through global cooperation, equity and shared responsibility, including new mechanisms for pathogen sharing and coordinated, sustainable financing. At the same time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating its pandemic guidance by modernizing data and analytics, expanding laboratory capacity, improving domestic and global surveillance, strengthening vaccine infrastructure through a Vaccines for Adults program, and leveraging tools such as wastewater surveillance. Together, these efforts are intended to correct weaknesses revealed during COVID-19 and better position the world to respond more effectively and equitably to the next pandemic. 

There is growing concern over hospital emergency department (ED) pediatric readiness, with EDs falling short of optimal preparedness. As pediatric-specific hospitals and inpatient services decline, many community and rural EDs — despite seeing fewer pediatric patients — remain critical points of care and must be equipped to stabilize and treat seriously ill or injured children. As we highlight in our article “Maximizing Pediatric Readiness in Emergency Departments” (p.26), children require specialized training, right-sized equipment and ongoing competency development, supported by national pediatric readiness standards and tools such as the National Pediatric Readiness Project. Evidence demonstrates that higher pediatric readiness is strongly associated with improved survival, especially for traumatic injuries, and that investments in staffing, training, equipment, and the appointment of a pediatric care coordinator are highly cost-effective.  

Boxed warnings are FDA’s strongest safety alerts designed to highlight rare but serious risks associated with certain medications. All IG products carry a boxed warning for thrombosis, and intravenous IG (IVIG) also carries a warning for renal dysfunction and acute renal failure. In our article “Unboxing Boxed Warnings and Risk Assessments for IG Products” (p.30), we outline why these risks occur, how they have been identified through post‑marketing surveillance and the steps clinicians can take to mitigate them. While these adverse events are uncommon, adherence to established standards, ongoing monitoring and individualized therapy planning by coordinated healthcare teams are essential to ensure IG therapy remains both safe and effective. 

As always, we hope you enjoy the additional articles in this issue of BioSupply Trends Quarterly, and find them both relevant and helpful to your practice. 

Helping Healthcare Care,

Patrick M. Schmidt

Publisher