Equipping Advanced Practice Providers: Interprofessional Pediatric Airway Management Course

Abstract

Background: Developmental differences between pediatrics and adults requires intervention adjustments for airway management. Segregated intraprofessional training and limited provider exposure could result in poor collaboration and low-quality management. Patient outcomes depend on the proficient collaborative application of skill and knowledge. Purpose: The interprofessional pediatric airway management course paired unique airway considerations with interprofessional training strategies to equip providers to deliver safe airway management. Intervention: The course was delivered as a 3-hour training session. Participants completed team simulations and skill/concept stations. Pre- and post-intervention competency and confidence scores were measured and analyzed. Methods: Baseline confidence and competency scores in managing a pediatric airway were established through an initial team simulation. Participants attended discussions and practiced aspects of airway management. Participants then completed a modified version of the initial simulation. Results: Two competency items showed statistically significant improvements. A clinically significant item could not be analyzed because there was no difference in means. There was an average improvement for all confidence measures with nine questions being statistically significant. Conclusion: This project improved participants’ confidence in several aspects of pediatric airway management. Competency was improved in fifteen of the twenty-three measured actions. However, not all of these were statistically significant, and the small sample size limited the statistical power.