Does the pediatric advanced life support course improve knowledge of pediatric resuscitation?

To determine whether the pediatric advanced life support (PALS) course contributes to the knowledge required by health care providers for pediatric resuscitation and whether differences in achievement exist between professional groups.

Physicians, nurses, and paramedics from across Israel who registered for PALS were administered a standardized test both before and on completion of the course. Pretest and posttest results were compared by statistical analysis. A score of 80 or higher was considered a passing grade.

Paired pretest and posttest results were available for 370 participants (72.5%): 128 physicians, 158 nurses, and 84 paramedics. The percentage of participants who passed the course was 83.5% for the entire cohort, 85.9% for physicians, 78.5% for nurses, and 89.3% for paramedics. Physicians and paramedics had higher pretest and posttest scores than nurses. There was a significant improvement in mean posttest scores compared with pretest scores for the entire group (86.6 +/- 9.8 vs 78.0 +/- 12.7, P < 0.001) and when results were stratified by profession. A significantly greater proportion of participants passed the posttest than the pretest both for the entire cohort (83.5% vs 61.9%, P < 0.0001) and by profession.

The pediatric advanced life support course significantly increases immediate short-term knowledge of pediatric resuscitation for all professional groups. This finding supports the use of PALS as an educational tool. Further studies are required to determine the effect of PALS on actual performance and outcome of resuscitation.