Cognitive aid for neonatal resuscitation: a prospective single-blinded randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Neonatal Care
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Skill and knowledge retention after neonatal resuscitation courses (NRP) is a recognized challenge.
• Cognitive aids are standard in high-stakes fields like aviation to support decision-making under pressure.
• This study investigated the impact of a cognitive aid on simulated neonatal resuscitation performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive aid in improving simulated neonatal resuscitation performance.
• To assess whether a visual algorithm poster enhances skill retention and execution in a critical care scenario.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-two anesthesia residents participated in a simulated neonatal resuscitation scenario.
• An intervention group used an NRP algorithm poster, while a control group did not.
• Performance was video-recorded and assessed using a validated checklist by multiple expert reviewers.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in checklist scores was observed between the intervention and control groups (P=0.08).
• No participants successfully completed all critical life-saving interventions required to pass the checklist.
• The cognitive aid was infrequently utilized by the intervention group.

Conclusions:

• Poor retention of skills post-NRP training remains a significant issue.
• Infrequent use of the cognitive aid may explain its lack of impact on performance.
• Future research should explore integrating cognitive aid use into NRP training protocols.