365 - Implementation of a Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator facilitated curriculum in Community Emergency Departments

Poster Number: 365
Publication Number: 365.502

Background: >90% of acutely ill children initially receive care in community EDs (CEDs). CEDs with low Pediatric Readiness Scores (PRS) have higher mortality. The designation of Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinators (PECCs) improves PRS by supporting local improvement efforts. PECCs report a lack of access to pediatric educational resources.

Objective: We developed a curriculum for implementation in CEDs by the PECCs, with support from regional Academic Medical Centers (AMCs), that aimed to (i) increase the frequency of pediatric educational activities and (ii) improve learners’ pediatric knowledge and skills.

Design/Methods: The 10-week curriculum started and ended with in-situ simulation sessions evaluated with checklists. PECCs shared weekly asynchronous assignments with the learners. Website analytics and surveys tracked learner and PECC engagement. Pre/post surveys measured satisfaction with the curriculum and changes in knowledge and skills.

Results: Demographics (Figure 1): 218 learners from 24 CEDs completed the initial simulation. Data is reported for the 14 CED sites that have completed the curriculum.

Curriculum engagement (Figure 2): The most helpful educational offerings were noted to be the neonatal and seizure case simulations followed by the podcasts and the choose your own adventure videos.

Pre-/Post-intervention learner perception and performance (Figure 3): Learners reported improved knowledge and skills (p-value for all < 0.001), but there was no significant change in simulation performance scores. The net promoter score for the curriculum was 82% (top tier).

PECC perception: 33% of CEDS had no pediatric education in the six months prior to this intervention. 57% planned to continue to conduct in-situ simulations after the intervention. All sites reported interest in participating in another curriculum. The three most favored elements of the curriculum included: simulations, prescribed pediatric education, and support from content experts. PECCs expressed the need for written guidelines for executing PECC roles, dedicated time for PECC role, and more access to pediatric education.

Conclusion(s): A curriculum facilitated by PECCs in CEDs, was associated with improved self-reported knowledge and skills by the learners but not simulation performance. The curriculum was challenging for PECCs to implement, with a high number not completing.