["Traffic lights" in pediatrics: what do residents beginning their family residency know about them?]

Pediatric practice is a difficult task requiring physicians to discriminate potentially serious situations among a variety of benign situations. The goal of this study was to assess the knowledge of students beginning their residency in family medicine on these situations.

One hundred and three students were evaluated on pediatric "traffic lights" using 103 true/false questions. Pediatric and family medicine teachers of the Nantes University Hospital defined "traffic lights" as the fundamentals of pediatrics, misleading situations, and diagnosis and treatment that should not to be missed. Emergency levels were defined by colors, with "red light" corresponding to life-threatening emergencies.

Thirty-six percent of the questions (n=103) had a correct response rate below 75%. Thirty-two percent of the questions on emergency situations ("red lights") (n=37) had a response rate below 75%. Fifteen percent of the questions (n=103) had a correct response rate below 50%, half of which were "red light" (e.g., on meningitis, diabetic acidocytosis, or shock). Questions concerning infants (n=24) had significantly fewer correct answers (correct response rate below 50%: 29% versus 10%; P=0.047). All the students answered seven questions correctly. The students' mean score (percentage of good answers) was 76% (±6%). No student had 100% or less than 50% good answers.

Some life-threatening situations or situations concerning infants had not been mastered by most of the students. It is therefore essential to optimize the teaching of pediatrics during the second cycle of medical studies.