Pediatric in-hospital emergencies: real life experiences, previous training and the need for training among physicians and nurses

Ronny LehmannEmail author View ORCID ID profile,
Anke Seitz,
Jochen Meyburg,
Bettina Hoppe,
Georg Friedrich Hoffmann,
Burkhard Tönshoff and
Sören Huwendiek

BMC Research Notes201912:19

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-019-4051-4

Received: 11 October 2018
Accepted: 8 January 2019
Published: 14 January 2019

Abstract

Objective

Pediatric emergencies challenge professional teams by demanding substantial cognitive effort, skills and effective teamwork. Educational designs for team trainings must be aligned to the needs of participants in order to increase effectiveness. To assess these needs, a survey among physicians and nurses of a tertiary pediatric center in Germany was conducted, focusing on previous experience, previous training in emergency care, and individual training needs.

Results

Fifty-three physicians and 75 nurses participated. Most frequently experienced emergencies were respiratory failure, resuscitation, seizure, shock/sepsis and arrhythmia. Resuscitations were perceived as being particularly precarious. Team collaboration and communication were major issues arising from previous emergency situations, but perceptions differed between physicians and nurses. Regarding previous training, physicians were accustomed to self-directed learning, whereas nurses usually attended practical courses. Both physicians and nurses rated themselves as having moderate levels of knowledge and skills for pediatric emergencies, though residents reported the significantly lowest preparedness. Both professions reported a high need for training of basic procedures and emergency algorithms, physicians even more than nurses.