Author Of 1 Presentation
FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF NON-NEONATAL INTUBATION (NNI) TRAINING FOR PEDIATRICIANS IN FLANDERS.
Abstract
Background
The leading cause of preventable death in pediatrics is failure to manage the airway. Since specialized care nowadays is concentrated, NNI will mostly be performed by anesthetists or paediatric intensivists. Interns spend fewer hours in-hospital, and children in need of intubation decrease.
Objectives
NNI should be acquired by pediatricians according to the European Academy of Pediatrics (EAP). We argue this is a realistic or desirable goal.
Methods
A survey was sent to pediatricians about the importance of NNI, their competency, self-confidence and previous life-support-courses. Primary outcome was the importance to achieve competence, preparedness and self-confidence. Associations between demographics and importance/competence were assessed.
Results
The survey was sent to 806 pediatricians; 233 answers are analyzed. Forty % disagreed NNI is a skill a pediatrician should obtain (51% pediatricians, 30% residents with p <0.007). Self-confidence scored 3.4 (+/- 2.7) on a 0-10 scale. Seventy % did not feel confident in NNI, over eighty % felt confident in managing the airway. Seventy-five % did not intubate a child in the last five years.
Conclusion
Our survey showed low self-confidence in and very low exposure to NNI. Many residents will not develop competence in NNI, neither will pediatricians be able to maintain this skill. Refining of the list of skills required by the EAP could lead to a shift from being able to intubate, to being able to manage the airway of a child. If intubation is still perceived necessary, the best way to teach it should be examined: relying on clinical exposure is clearly not enough anymore.