A Novel Streamlined Triphasic Approach to Training Pediatric Emergency Staff for Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral...

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Medical Education
• Point-of-Care Ultrasound

Background:

• Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous (IV) access is crucial for pediatric patients with difficult IV access.
• Existing training quality for this skill varies significantly.
• A novel, simplified 3-phase curriculum was developed to standardize and streamline training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel 3-phase training curriculum for ultrasound-guided peripheral IV access in pediatric emergency settings.
• To assess the impact of this training on emergency nurses' and paramedics' skills, confidence, and patient management.

Main Methods:

• A prospective observational study included 30 emergency nurses and paramedics with prior IV placement experience.
• Training involved 3 phases: didactics/simulation, supervised cannulations, and unsupervised cannulations in patients.
• Participants were assessed pre-training, post-training, and at 6 months.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in comfort levels with ultrasound competency, image acquisition, and clinical integration were observed post-training and sustained for 6 months.
• The number of peripheral IV attempts decreased significantly (from 2.86 to 1.2).
• Training was rated as valuable (4.9/5) and impactful on clinical management (4.5/5).

Conclusions:

• The 3-phase training curriculum effectively enhanced pediatric emergency nurses' and paramedics' ultrasound-guided peripheral IV cannulation skills.
• Integrating this training program can improve patient management for pediatric patients requiring difficult IV access.