Walter Eppich, MD, MEd
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital
The purpose of this project was to develop a simulation-based workshop on the initial management of potentially difficult airways in pediatrics and to determine whether workshop participants improved their knowledge and self-efficacy in managing pediatric respiratory emergencies. A 90-minute workshop was developed for the Celebration in Pediatric Pulmonary Conference in March 2007. The educational intervention included a brief didactic review, a skills station, and two simulations of respiratory emergencies with debriefing and feedback about performance. Forty-eight pediatric providers, mostly experienced pediatric pulmonologists, participated in three separate sessions. A one-group pretest-posttest design was integrated into the flow of the workshop to assess knowledge and self-efficacy. Knowledge gains were noted in the technical aspects related to airway management but not in the ability to predict a difficult airway, although significant threats to validity undermine these results. There was a significant increase in mean self-efficacy scores in performing the skills related to initial airway management as well as the management of specific respiratory emergencies. Participants’ workshop evaluation reflected their satisfaction with the session format. Directions for future research include determining what factors predict higher levels of self-efficacy and how self-efficacy relates to the performance of airway skills during resuscitations.
