157 - Pediatric Respiratory Distress Education: Needs Assessment and Development of an Instructional Video Curriculum

Poster Number: 157
Publication Number: 157.112

Monique De Araujo, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Mountain View, CA, United States; Alemayehu Teklu Toni, University of Gondar, Gondar, Amara, Ethiopia; Rishi P. Mediratta, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of identifying respiratory distress. Simultaneously, in-person training and education among providers to develop said skill has been limited due to social distancing guidelines. Respiratory distress caused by infections represent major causes of pediatric morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. There are opportunities to remotely equip providers in these settings to care for children presenting in respiratory distress.

Objective: 1. Conduct a needs assessment to understand the attitudes of trainees about the identification and management of respiratory distress in children
2. Design a curriculum to equip trainees in resource-limited settings to identify children presenting in respiratory distress

Design/Methods: A targeted needs assessment was conducted through an electronic survey sent to medical students and pediatric residents at a teaching hospital in Gondar, Ethiopia. Topics included comfort with identifying and managing respiratory distress in children and ranking preferred teaching methods. The means for each teaching method were calculated.

Results: There were 17 trainees surveyed in March 2021, including 5th and 6th-year medical students (n=3), PGY1 (n=1), PGY2 (n=7), and PGY3 (n=6). Many trainees were very or somewhat uncomfortable with identifying nasal flaring (29%) and cyanosis (24%). Many trainees were very or somewhat uncomfortable with the concepts of emergency triage assessment and treatment for children in respiratory distress (29%) and with applying bubble continuous positive airway pressure (35%). Almost all trainees (92%) indicated a need for training on the identification and management of pediatric respiratory distress. Trainees ranked practical skills as the preferred teaching method, followed by hands-on simulation, videos, and written tests.
Based on the needs assessment, an instructional video curriculum was developed to address identified gaps in pediatric respiratory distress education. The curriculum consists of eight modules: Pediatric Respiratory Distress Overview, Fast Breathing, Retractions, Nasal Flaring/Head Bobbing/Cyanosis, Grunting (https://bit.ly/3t4lGAp), Airway Obstruction, Initial Identification/Triage, and Recognizing Specific Diseases.Conclusion(s): There is a need for curricula about pediatric respiratory distress for trainees practicing in global health settings. We have developed an instructional video curriculum to be piloted in Ethiopia in 2022. Research is needed to evaluate the curriculum’s higher level educational objectives.