Validation of an Assessment Instrument for Pediatric Basic Life Support

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Pediatric Resuscitation

Background:

• Effective assessment of pediatric basic life support (PBLS) skills is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
• Existing assessment tools may lack comprehensive validation or practical applicability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable instrument for assessing pediatric basic life support (PBLS).

Main Methods:

• Developed a PBLS assessment instrument based on existing systems and European Resuscitation Council guidelines.
• Assessed construct validity by comparing performance of experienced instructors and medical students on a manikin.
• Evaluated intrarater and interrater reliability using videotaped examinations.

Main Results:

• The instrument demonstrated face and content validity, aligning with expert consensus and guidelines.
• Experienced PBLS instructors achieved significantly higher pass rates (100%) and fewer penalty points compared to medical students (62.4%).
• Intrarater reliability showed substantial agreement (κ=0.62), and interrater reliability showed moderate agreement (κ=0.51). Assessment time was approximately 3 minutes per examination.

Conclusions:

• The developed instrument for video-based PBLS assessment is valid and sufficiently reliable.
• The tool is practical, time-efficient, and suitable for diverse settings, including resource-limited environments.