An Online Survey of Practicing Emergency Medicine Clinicians' Pediatric Educational Needs.

BACKGROUND

Clinicians caring for children in emergency departments have variable pediatric training. This study aimed to identify practicing emergency clinicians' perceptions on pediatric topic prioritization, information seeking behaviors, and preferred learning modalities.

METHODS

A survey was iteratively developed by experts in general and pediatric emergency medicine utilizing survey science best practices. The final survey contained sections on demographics, pediatric topic prioritization, information seeking behaviors, and preferred learning modalities. The survey was disseminated via publication as a link on the WikEM website, the WikEM application, and via e-mails to registered WikEM users.

RESULTS

Five-hundred and forty-two surveys were completed by 397 attending physicians (APs) and 145 advanced practice providers (APPs). The top three priority topics among APs were neonatal emergencies, airway and respiratory emergencies, and pediatric-specific procedures, and among APPs were abdominal emergencies, airway and respiratory emergencies, and bronchiolitis. Both APs and APPs indicated that they currently receive most of their pediatric information through online medical resources and communication with colleagues. The least used methods included webinars, social media, courses, and academic journals. APs preferred education modalities included clinical evidence-based pathways, podcasts, and websites/blogs. APPs preferences were clinical evidence-based pathways, podcasts, and online didactic experiences. Both APs and APPs reported that insufficient time and not knowing where to find resources were the largest barriers to pediatric education.

CONCLUSIONS

Attending physicians and advanced practice emergency providers identified airway and respiratory emergencies as priority topics. Information was most often accessed using online resources and through discussions with colleagues. Evidence-based pathways and podcasts were identified as the preferred modality. These data can inform priority topics for content development and best practices for dissemination of content to practicing clinicians.