A novel program to enhance pediatric emergency medicine training in Thailand

• Published in: AEM education and training 2021-07, Vol.5 (3), p.e10596-n/a
• Main Authors: Burns, Beech, Bailey, Jessica, Hartenstein, Melinda, Sullivan, Danielle, Burns, Erin, Lin, Amber, Chan, Daniela, Plainkum, Parit, Techapaitoon, Surangkana, Pandee, Uthen, Ma, O. John
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original Contribution; Original Contributions
• ISSN: 2472-5390; 2472-5390
• DOI: 10.1002/aet2.10596

Background In Thailand, there are few pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowship‐trained providers, and emergency departments (EDs) are staffed by pediatricians and emergency physicians. Our pediatric ED collaborated with Thailand's largest private hospital system to develop a training program designed to improve emergency care for children. Objective The objective was to develop, implement, and assess the efficacy of a curriculum to improve PEM care by emergency providers in a Thai health system. Methods We conducted a prospective study from January 2018 to July 2019. After an initial needs assessment, we developed a curriculum with 22 modules, divided into basic and advanced courses. Each course began with baseline testing, consisting of written tests and several simulated cases led by physician–nurse teams. Each course was administered longitudinally through electronic modules over 6 months, with in‐person shadowing and skills workshops at the course midpoint, culminating in final summative examinations and repeat simulation testing. Results On written examination scores for the basic course, physicians (n = 5) improved by 37.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 29.8% to 45.4%, p