Pediatric Resident Education and Preparedness Regarding Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Publication Date
2018
Journal Title
Clin Pediatr
Abstract
© 2017, © The Author(s) 2017. This study assessed pediatric residents’ reported knowledge of and self-confidence in identifying/treating 8 vaccine-preventable diseases. Pediatric residents nationwide (n = 385) reported (1) if they had previously diagnosed measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, varicella, and/or polio; (2) their comfort level in treating these diseases; (3) the likelihood of identifying symptoms; and (4) 16 disease-related statements as true/false. More than 25% of residents were not comfortable treating 5 of the 8 diseases. More than 25% reported themselves as unlikely/extremely unlikely to identify symptoms of 3 of these diseases. Third- or fourth-year residents did not feel more confident in identifying disease symptoms than first-year residents, except for pertussis (P ≤.01). True/false statement accuracy ranged from 56.8% correct (polio) to 94.6% correct (pertussis). Most residents (73.3%) were “extremely concerned” regarding parental vaccine refusal, and 96.0% felt that they would benefit from receiving more information. Increased emphasis on this subject in residency education is essential for the management of potential disease outbreaks.
Volume Number
57
Issue Number
3
Pages
327 - 334
Document Type
Article
Status
Faculty
Facility
School of Medicine
Primary Department
General Pediatrics
PMID
DOI
10.1177/0009922817727465