342 - Pediatric Hospitalists as Educators: Identifying and Quantifying Teaching Methods Used During Family-Centered Rounds

Poster Number: 342
Publication Number: 342.454

Background: Pediatric hospitalists (PH) are responsible for educating various levels of learners while overseeing rounds to provide high quality care to patients and families. While many effective teaching techniques are described in the literature, efficient teaching on rounds is a skill not always taught in training. The effective use of these techniques by PH is difficult to assess, as rounds are typically conducted independently, with feedback only elicited from trainees. Peer observation can be an effective means to evaluate the education provided on rounds.

Objective: To describe and quantify teaching techniques utilized on rounds by PH and identify differences in practice based on years of experience.

Design/Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care pediatric hospital between 7/2022-7/2023. All PH division members were eligible to participate. The program was voluntary and incentivized. Participants attended a preliminary session to define 11 formal teaching methods. Using a rounds observation guide (Figure), they then observed three occurrences of rounds with PH at different levels of experience (Tiers (T)1, < 6 years post-training; T2, 6-11 years; and T3, >11 years). A post-rounds debrief followed. During observations, the number of teaching methods and types used were recorded; guides were collected and analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, Chi Square, and Kruskal Wallis test.

Results: 31 of 48 eligible participants completed the program, with 38 enrolled initially. 93 observations occurred with 32 in T1, 28 in T2 and 33 in T3. 1777 discrete teaching occurrences were identified with a mean of 20.4 occurrences/rounds observation (Table 1). Mean occurrences did not vary by tier: T1 20.8, T2 17.8, and T3 22.3 (Table 1). These were stratified by teaching technique observed. Each teaching type was utilized in > 51% of round occurrences (Table 2). There was no significant difference in number of occurrences or type of teaching method used when compared by tier of experience (Table 2). The most common strategies used (by % of rounds observations) were Visual Pearls (87.1%), Learner-as-Teacher (84.9%) and Teaching the Team Through Teaching the Family (84.9%) (Table 2).

Conclusion(s): Utilizing peer observation, we demonstrated that education by PH on rounds is both frequent and varied in style. Teaching techniques and number of occurrences did not vary by tiers of experience. And techniques incorporating both the family and patient were some of the most commonly used teaching methods.