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Evaluating pediatric emergency knowledge mobilization resources for Canadian healthcare providers: a concurrent
Veronica Ka Wai Lai1, Lisa Knisley2, Lisa Hartling3
1Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research & Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada. veronica.lai@sickkids.ca.
Objectives:
In Canada, approximately 85% of pediatric emergency visits occur in general emergency departments lacking specialized pediatric resources. Through a national co-developed knowledge mobilization strategy, the Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK) network creates evidence-based resources to bridge this gap. This study evaluated the usability of TREKK resources as perceived by healthcare providers.
Methods:
Between February 2023 and February 2024, a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design was used to evaluate eight pediatric clinical resources across seven topics (diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), bronchiolitis, aerosol-generating medical procedures, pneumonia, respiratory distress, eating disorders, and anxiety). Four iterative survey rounds each assessed two resources on nine usability dimensions (e.g., usefulness, simplicity, and clinical confidence) using an eleven-point Likert scale (0 = strongly disagree; 10 = strongly agree). Survey respondents were invited to semi-structured interviews on three resources (DKA and bronchiolitis Bottom Line Recommendations and the DKA algorithm); purposive sampling ensured diverse professional roles across urban, rural, and remote settings. Interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results:
The survey sample comprised 432 respondents across four rounds. Mean usability scores across nine dimensions ranged from 7.81 to 9.61 (out of 10). The DKA algorithm was rated most positively on clinical usefulness (mean = 9.61), while the aerosol-generating medical procedures Fact Sheet was rated least positively on intention-to-use (mean = 7.2) and provider confidence (mean = 7.0). Thematic analysis of 21 interviews generated four themes: trusted resources, diverse utilization patterns, effective design, and organizational awareness gaps. Triangulation indicated that, although providers rated the resources as highly usable, limited organizational awareness was the primary barrier to uptake in practice.
Conclusions:
TREKK resources are valued for evidence-based credibility and bedside usability, yet limited organizational awareness impedes their uptake in practice. Ongoing, active strategies to increase uptake, such as knowledge brokering and curricular integration, are essential to bridge the knowledge-to-practice gap.