114 - Increasing Resident Knowledge and Comfort Regarding School-Based Service and Special Education Services: A Novel Toolkit

Poster Number: 114
Publication Number: 114.410

Adriana Bialostozky, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, nashville, TN, United States; Liliana Wagner, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, NASHVILLE, TN, United States; Stephanie Saldarriaga, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN, United States; Maya K. Neeley, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN, United States; Tara J. Minor, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN, United States; Rachel H. Goode, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, United States; Jeffrey Hine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States

Background: Pediatricians are often the primary contact for families concerned about their child’s development. Recent data reveal that pediatricians are not optimally aware of available special education services, and are not comfortable identifying resources and collaborating with schools. By enriching pediatric resident education through explicit training, we aimed to enhance resident comfort in partnering with families to access school-based services.

Objective: Our goal were 1) to define residents’ comfort talking with families about school-based services before and after viewing a novel toolkit and 2) to obtain their input to further refine and expand the toolkit for more widespread use in pediatric residency program and practices.

Design/Methods: The toolkit was created by a team of pediatricians, psychologists, and education specialists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It consisted of online modules with vignettes, handouts, clinical tips and dot phrases. Residents on pediatric advocacy or developmental rotations were required to complete the toolkit. Completion took approximately 90 minutes. Participants filled a survey immediately before and after completion. They were asked 1) about prior involvement in an educational training on this topic (yes/no), 2) to rate their level of comfort with this topic on a 6-point Likert scale (1=Very Uncomfortable to  6=Very Comfortable), 3) to evaluate the toolkit itself on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly disagree), and 4) to determine the acceptability of the time commitment (yes/no).  Pre/post differences were calculated using 2 sample t-test.

Results: Sixty-three pediatric residents (out of 80) completed the pre/post survey. All reported serving children with special needs within their continuity clinic. Only 25% had received prior training on school-based evaluations and services. The comfort level with providing feedback showed a mean score of 2.7 (s.d. 1.27) pre- and  4.6 (s.d. 1.03) post-participation (p < 0.01). Residents agreed or strongly agreed that the content was representative of the school-based questions parents asked them in clinic (87%), that the handouts were a helpful resource (90%), and that the toolkit was engaging/interactive (82%).  All agreed that the time commitment was acceptable. Conclusion(s): There appears to be a gap in the pediatric training regarding school-based evaluations and services for parents of children with special needs. Our findings give initial support for the importance and feasibility of implementing this toolkit within our residency program.