Education in pediatric basic and advanced life support

Curricula in pediatric resuscitation must be based on adult learning principles. The Pediatric Basic and Advanced Life Support Courses (PBLS, PALS) should use educational strategies fostering positive interactions between the instructor and learners and should take into consideration the learner's motivation for taking the course. Materials should be developed for a specific target audience; course design should be flexible to meet individual needs. The PBLS and PALS courses have different audiences. PBLS is targeted toward caretakers of children. This course will continue to emphasize primary injury prevention as the major strategy but also will give learners the knowledge and skills to perform CPR. To optimize retention of knowledge and skills, the course content must be simplified, and the sequencing of steps in basic life support must be modified. Health care providers caring for pediatric patients in acute care settings are the primary audience for the PALS course. This course already incorporates adult learning principles; only minor revisions are anticipated. Discussion of the trauma patient is limited in the PALS course; additional trauma education could be facilitated by the addition of a trauma module or by other educational courses. All aspects of the PBLS and PALS educational programs must be evaluated continually to determine whether learning objectives have been met and whether the teaching format is appropriate. The answers to evaluation questions will help determine the degree to which the American Heart Association is meeting its educational objectives and how to allocate resources for development and training.