Effectiveness and Dissemination of the Interprofessional Pediatric Pain PRN Curriculum

Cultural transformation is needed for health care to be sensitive to children's pain. The Pediatric Pain Practice Registered Nurses (PRN) Curriculum is the first free, open access, downloadable, interprofessional pain continuing education (IPPCE) curriculum developed to empower health care professionals to translate evidence-based pain care into clinical practice. To evaluate the curriculum and its experiential flipped-learning strategies, we used a mixed methods approach.

Interprofessional pediatric teams from eight health care systems evaluated the curriculum after attending Pediatric Pain PRN Courses in the Fall of 2017 (N = 90). Qualitative methods were used to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and utility of the curriculum and IPPCE strategies. Pain knowledge and attitudes were measured pre-IPPCE/post-IPPCE with the Pediatric Healthcare Provider's Knowledge & Attitude Survey Regarding Pain (PHPKAS). Web analytics were used to describe dissemination for the first year after the curriculum's webpage launch.

Learners rated their achievement of course objectives as moderate-great. PHPKAS scores significantly increased (P < .0005); but significant differences in physician and nurse PHPKAS question responses pre-IPPCE/post-IPPCE were found. Within 2 years of the IPPCE, three health care systems were certified as Childkind Hospitals, five Pediatric Pain PRN Programs were established, and various practice changes and improved patient outcomes, such as decreased hospital lengths of stay and emergency department returns for pain, were realized. Curriculum dissemination was global.

Results support the acceptability, effectiveness, feasibility, utility, and global dissemination of the curriculum and IPPCE strategies. More rigorous patient outcome data are needed; however, this study demonstrated the benefit of a free, open-access, downloadable, interprofessional health care provider continuing education curriculum.