PC3065: Development and Implementation of a Pediatric Critical Care Transport Education Curriculum

Background: The use of specialized pediatric critical care transport teams has been associated with improved patient outcomes. In rural settings with limited resources, there may be no designated team in which members have specialized pediatric training. A pediatric intensivist supported education curriculum reinforcing pediatric critical care concepts may improve team member knowledge and consistent delivery of best practices across the continuum of care from referring hospital, during transport, and at the referral center for critically ill pediatric patients.

Methods: We designed a didactic curriculum with 12 topics relevant to the care and transport of critically ill pediatric patients. The target audience was our tertiary care hospital-based medical transport team. Prior to implementation, members completed a survey on perceived comfort levels on 21 pediatric specific topics and a pre-assessment to evaluate current knowledge levels. The lecture series was delivered monthly via an online video lecture format. A post-assessment to evaluate knowledge retention was administered upon curriculum completion.

Results: Thirty-six team members were surveyed during the spring of 2021. Only 24% of the team members reported having prior experience in a pediatric intensive care unit or pediatric emergency department setting. The topics with the most perceived discomfort included identification and management of pediatric ingestions/poisonings (45%), management of pediatric intracranial hypertension (50%), and management of pediatric stroke (64%). The pre-curriculum assessment response rate was 66.7% (n=24) and the mean correct score was 73% (n=24). The online curriculum is ongoing and will conclude in May 2022. The post-assessment results and conclusions on knowledge retention are pending.

Conclusion: The majority of our hospital-based transport team members lack prior clinical experience in pediatric critical care but routinely transport these patients. The pre-curriculum survey identified areas of potential weakness, however, the members performed well overall on the knowledge assessment. Conclusions on knowledge retention will be evaluated upon completion of the curriculum. A standardized education curriculum for a non-pediatric specific transport team may lead to improved comfort levels and overall care of critically ill pediatric patients across the continuum of care, and specifically during medical transport.