Abstract 13839: Knowledge, Attitude & Practice of Health Care Workers Regarding Pediatric Early Warning System - A Cross Sectional Study in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction: The Pediatrics Early Warning Scoring (PEWS) system is a quantitative instrument that measures the severity of the clinical situation of children aged 1 month to 18 years. Hypothesis: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices among nurses and doctors regarding the Pediatric Early Warning Signs (PEWS) system, in a pediatric ward at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to address the study question. The universal sampling technique was used to recruit a total of 142 eligible nurses and doctors to explore the knowledge and attitude regarding the PEWS system. Medical records of patients who had a Pediatric Rapid Response Team (PRRT) request raised was reviewed for practice assessment of PEWS. The relationship between the study participants’ demographic characteristics and their knowledge and attitude regarding PEWS was assessed through Chi-square for categorical variables and one-way ANOVA for continuous variables. Results: The findings of the study revealed that out of 142 study participants, 50% participants had a low level of knowledge yet positive attitude towards the PEWS system. Professional qualification and age of participants were significantly associated with knowledge regarding the PEWS system. Profession, professional qualification, current position of the study participants and specialized training on PEWS had a significant association with attitude regarding the PEWS system. Medical records of 30 patients were eligible for practice assessment which revealed that 56.7% of the PEWS observations were documented in patient records which were either incomplete or inappropriate. About 50% showed a poor level of practice regarding PEWS. Conclusions: Our study revealed a knowledge and practice gap among the nurses and doctors while utilizing the PEWS system. Despite having a low level of knowledge, the participants had a positive attitude towards PEWS to enhance their PEWS knowledge and practices. PEWS should be incorporated in the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification course. Moreover, simulation-based teaching strategies should be planned to improve practice and knowledge regarding the system.