Teaching the Pediatric Assessment Triangle Using Online Video Cases

Abstract

Critically ill children are rarely seen by most providers during training, which creates the potential for a knowledge gap in patient assessment. The pediatric assessment triangle (PAT) is the structural framework used in pediatric advanced live support (PALS) to teach assessment based on appearance, work of breathing, and circulation. One study in revision demonstrates that many medical students and interns are not able to differentiate upper and lower airway obstruction and identify severity of respiratory distress in children. Another ongoing out-of-hospital study demonstrates that differentiating sick versus not sick in children is a potential source of errors. Patient videos can make these infrequent scenarios accessible to many learners.