Early Recognition of Pediatric Sepsis Simulation Checklist - An Exploratory Study
Desiree A Diaz1, Mindi Anderson1, Susan B Quelly1
1University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States of America.
Insights
A modified 16-item checklist aids nursing students in recognizing pediatric sepsis early. The checklist identifies two key factors: assessment and deterioration, crucial for timely intervention in pediatric sepsis detection.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Nursing education
- Sepsis detection
Background:
- Early detection of pediatric sepsis is critical for improving patient outcomes.
- Nursing students require effective tools to recognize sepsis indicators.
- Clinical simulation offers a safe environment for skill development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To modify and explore a 21-item checklist for early pediatric sepsis detection.
- To enhance nursing students' recognition of key sepsis factors via simulation.
- To validate a tool for assessing sepsis knowledge in pre-licensure nursing students.
Main Methods:
- A 16-item Early Detection of Pediatric Sepsis Assessment Checklist was adapted.
- 131 undergraduate nursing students participated in high-fidelity manikin simulations.
- Categorical Principle Component Analysis was employed to determine factor structure.
Main Results:
- Two factors, 'assessment' and 'deterioration,' emerged, explaining 68% of the variance.
- The 'assessment' factor (9 items) measured vital signs and medication administration.
- The 'deterioration' factor (7 items) focused on recognizing changes from baseline.
Conclusions:
- The 16-item checklist effectively identifies core skills for early pediatric sepsis detection.
- The factors 'assessment' and 'deterioration' are central to recognizing sepsis in pediatric patients.
- This checklist can assess student knowledge and potentially evaluate new graduate readiness in simulation.
Purpose:
To report on the modification and exploration of a 21-item Early Detection of Pediatric Sepsis Assessment Checklist aimed at improving nursing students' recognition of key factors that contribute to early detection of sepsis in pediatric patients through clinical simulation.
Design And Methods:
One hundred and thirty-one undergraduate, pre-licensure nursing students were evaluated using the adapted 21-item Early Detection of Pediatric Sepsis Assessment Checklist in simulation using high-fidelity manikins. Categorical Principle Component Analysis was used to evaluate for factor structure, with items accounting for <0.20 of the variance were dropped from the loadings.
Results:
Two factors emerged from the analysis: assessment and deterioration, accounting for 68% of the variance. Factor one, assessment, contained nine items (α = 0.77; λ = 3.36). Factor two, deterioration, contained seven items (α = 0.72; λ = 2.85). Five items did not load and were dropped from the factor structure, resulting in a 16-item checklist.
Conclusions:
Two factors emerged from the analysis which is key to improving the early detection of pediatric sepsis. Assessment, factor one, accounted for the nursing students' central skills of recognizing baseline vital signs and timely medication administration. Deterioration, factor two, contained items reflecting the recognition of changes from baseline that require action. Conceptually, these factors reflect the most central points in the early detection of signs in pediatric patients at risk for sepsis.
Practice Implications:
This checklist forms a valuable tool to assess the knowledge of pre-licensure students and may possibly be extended as a tool to assess the clinical readiness and performance of new graduates through the safety and supervision allotted by simulation.
