Trainee Needs in Pediatric Transplant Infectious Diseases Education

Pediatric transplant infectious diseases (PTID) is emerging as an area of expertise within pediatric infectious diseases. Although guidelines for training in PTID have been published, no prior national survey has been conducted to identify trainee-described needs for instruction in PTID.

A survey was designed through collaboration between the American Society of Transplantation and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, to assess trainee exposure, self-knowledge, and self-competency in PTID.

Sixty of 169 trainees replied (response rate 35%) with 93% of respondents from centers that performed transplants. Eighty-two percent of trainees were unaware of the recommended curriculum for PTID. Although a majority of trainees (78%) indicated they had received structured teaching in PTID, most (>50%) ranked their knowledge in donor selection, donor-derived infections, and candidate risk assessment as poor or fair. A majority (>50%) also reported their competency in areas regarding pre- and posttransplant guidance as poor or fair. Trainees identified the following strategies to augment their PTID training: additional rotations, teaching by experts, case-based learning, and a reference guide.

This survey highlights significant trainee-identified gaps in PTID knowledge and competency. Limitations include low survey response rate but appears weighted towards centers with transplantation. Suggested strategies can inform the development of learner-specific initiatives and curriculum in PTID.