Management of Postoperative Pediatric Patients

Abstract Introduction According to a 2013 study of career intents, 12% of graduating pediatric residents pursue careers in pediatric hospital medicine, often without additional fellowship training. Increasingly, pediatric hospitalists are asked to help comanage postoperative patients. There is a lack of evidence-based curricula in the management of the postoperative pediatric patient. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine Surgical Care Subcommittee has identified the need for such curricula as a priority. As a result, the education co-leads for the subcommittee have teamed together with the director of fellowship, resident elective, and advanced practice nurse practitioner education for the Division of Hospital Medicine at Cincinnati Children's to develop this curriculum. Content for this curriculum was chosen based on a needs assessment of recent pediatric residency graduates and practicing pediatric hospitalists, who selected high-yield topics. Methods The resource was developed by pediatric hospital medicine faculty who focus on the care of the postoperative pediatric patient and includes 11 narrated PowerPoint presentations. Each module contains learning objectives and questions for review. The modules together provide a background of the most common issues that arise in the care of the pediatric postoperative population. The modules can be used as a stand-alone resource or to augment a clinical rotation. Results The resource has been used for a variety of providers, including pediatric residents, pediatric hospital medicine fellows, faculty, and nurse practitioners. Evaluations from each learner have been collected, and appropriate changes have been made to enhance the curriculum. Outcomes were measured using time spent reviewing the modules, as measured by the learning platform used to store the modules, and self-assessments from the learners. Average time spent accessing the modules was 5.5 hours, with a range of 2-16.5 hours. Learners completed an anonymous evaluation rating the modules and their overall response to the curriculum. Overall, 100% stated that the presentations did “inform your care” of patients, 90% felt the presentations increased their comfort level for caring for surgical patients, and 100% would recommend the curriculum to a colleague. Discussion There are currently no published curricula addressing topics commonly encountered during the care and co-management of postoperative pediatric patient