Enhancing Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Education Through Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning...

Pediatric fellows and advanced practice providers face challenges in acquiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) management skills due to low patient volume, high-risk cases, and lack of standardized training guidelines. We sought to develop case-based ECMO education sessions using the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) format and evaluate their impact on participants.

We designed two 60-minute, case-based ECMO education sessions: Low Flow on Venoarterial-ECMO (session 1) and Hypoxemia on Venovenous-ECMO (session 2). Participants from 1 institution completed voluntary pre/postsession surveys with knowledge-based questions and 5-point Likert scales (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree) to assess participants' confidence in managing ECMO patients. Comparative analysis was performed on data from participants who completed both surveys.

Among session 1 participants (n = 26), all completed the presession survey, 20 completed the postsession survey, and 12 completed both. Among session 2 participants (n = 23), all completed the presession survey, 13 completed the postsession survey, and 13 completed both. Knowledge test scores increased significantly from 46% to 80% (P < .05, n = 12) after session 1, and from 29% to 86% (P < .05, n = 13) after session 2. Participants' confidence increased significantly after both sessions. Most participants strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that the content of both sessions was relevant and appropriate to their level of training.

POGIL could serve as an effective method to address advanced practice provider and fellow knowledge gaps and increase understanding of how to approach challenges for patients receiving ECMO.