Procedural skill needs for Canadian paediatricians: A national profile

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Medicine
• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Assessment

Background:

• Procedural practice among Canadian paediatricians is evolving.
• Limited empirical data exists on essential procedural competencies for general paediatricians.
• Current practice variations necessitate a needs assessment to inform medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify essential procedural skills for Canadian general paediatricians.
• To inform the development of post-graduate and continuing medical education curricula.
• To address the evolving landscape of paediatric procedural practice.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to paediatricians via the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP).
• Participants reported the frequency of performing 32 pre-selected procedures and their perceived essentiality.
• Data analysis focused on general paediatricians (n=481) with a 33.2% response rate.

Main Results:

• 71.0% of general paediatricians reported performing procedures.
• Most frequent procedures included infant bag-valve-mask ventilation, lumbar puncture, and ear curettage.
• Procedures performed more frequently were generally considered more essential, with infant airway procedures rated higher than those on older children.

Conclusions:

• Significant variability exists in the frequency of procedural performance among Canadian general paediatricians.
• Findings can guide the prioritization of procedural skills in medical education.
• A negative correlation between performance frequency and proficiency maintenance difficulty was observed.