Identification and Management of Pediatric Sepsis: A Medical Student Curricular Supplement for PICU and NICU...

Medical students frequently report lack of confidence and skill in managing ill pediatric patients. We aimed to implement targeted learning interventions to address these knowledge gaps, specifically focusing on pediatric sepsis. Our objective was to create a curriculum to advance knowledge and confidence in identifying and managing pediatric sepsis.

We designed this curriculum to augment medical student pediatric ICU (PICU) and neonatal ICU (NICU) rotations. We first emailed students a pretest and upon completion, we emailed students a series of brief educational videos. Students then participated in a simulation experience designed to assess their ability to diagnose and manage severe sepsis. We provided immediate debriefing after each session. Upon completion of the simulation experience, we emailed students a posttest (identical to the pretest). The pre-/posttest included multiple-choice questions to assess the students' ability to recognize and manage pediatric sepsis and septic shock, as well as Likert-scale questions assessing confidence levels in diagnosis and management of pediatric sepsis. We performed paired Student t tests comparing knowledge-based question scores and Likert-scale results.

Of students, 40 enrolled in and 30 completed the curriculum between 2015 and 2020. When comparing pre- and posttest results, we found a significant improvement in knowledge scores (33% mean increase, 95% CI [22%-45%], p < .001) and confidence levels (mean increase in Likert scale score of 1.5, 95% CI [1.2-1.7], p < .001).

Results suggested that the curriculum advanced students' knowledge scores and improved self-reported confidence in managing theoretical pediatric patients with sepsis.