Improving Provider Awareness and Comfort in Caring for PANDAS in the Outpatient Setting

Background: Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) is a disorder with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or tic disorders associated with group A streptococcal infection. PANDAS is considered a subtype of pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS), and both can cause disabling symptoms. The influence of PANS/PANDAS on family function is significant, with parents reporting many adaptations and disruptions to the family, including extreme financial, emotional, and social impacts (Dolce et al., 2022; Tang et al., 2021). Despite the publication of evidential literature in 1998, there remains a lack of skilled providers who are confident in diagnosing and treating this disorder. Parents report that finding a skilled provider and confirming a timely diagnosis are significantly difficult. This can cause a treatment delay for years with indeterminate consequences (Tang et al., 2021). Objective: This quality improvement initiative aimed to assess changes in providers' awareness and comfort with diagnosing and treating PANDAS following an educational intervention implemented as part of a quality improvement effort. Methods: Pretest/posttest descriptive survey was used for providers participating in an educational intervention. The educational intervention was a recorded PowerPoint created using the published PANS/PANDAS Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines. Results: After completing the provider educational intervention, participants' comfort in diagnosing and treating PANDAS improved. Conclusions: Access to a knowledgeable provider is a significant barrier for families of PANDAS patients. An educational intervention on PANDAS improved comfort in providing diagnoses and treatment in a small cohort of providers. Implications for Nursing: PANDAS education for providers may improve the comfort in diagnosing and treating PANDAS in primary care, thus positively impacting the quality of care families receive.