Improving Pediatric Bronchiolitis Care: Optimizing Nasal Suctioning in Community Emergency Departments

Community emergency departments see the majority of children receiving emergency care. However, each of these emergency departments may only see a small volume of pediatric patients per day, often leaving staff uncomfortable when caring for sick infants. By forming partnerships between an academic pediatric emergency department and community emergency departments, we sought to improve the clinical skills of community staff caring for infants with bronchiolitis, a common pediatric presentation. We created a training module that summarizes evidence-based best practices for bronchiolitis management and conducted hands-on suctioning simulations with 31 community emergency department nurses and respiratory therapists. Through education and simulation on bronchiolitis care, the majority of study participants were confident in their ability to improve their care of children with bronchiolitis and intended to change their practice. This multi-center pilot study highlights the power of academic and community emergency department partnerships in enhancing continuing education and promoting pediatric care quality in community emergency departments.