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New research from Advocate Health's Advocate Aurora Research Institute suggests that giving pediatric residents hands-on training with medical devices may help them communicate more effectively with the families of children frequently hospitalized in pediatric units.

For the study, published recently in Hospital Pediatrics, researchers developed a training program focused on five types of medical devices commonly used by hospitalized children with complex medical needs—central lines, chest tubes, feeding devices, tracheostomies and cerebrospinal fluid shunts.

Researchers not only looked at what residents learned from the training but also surveyed the caregivers of the pediatric patients on how well the doctors communicated.

"Children with medical complexity often have multiple chronic health conditions and may depend on medical equipment as part of their everyday care," said lead author Kelci Butler, assistant professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and pediatric hospitalist at Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois.

"These patients often account for up to half of children admitted to tertiary care hospitals, yet pediatric residents—often among the first physicians to care for them—have reported feeling inadequately prepared for their needs.

"We wanted to bridge that gap by developing training that addresses this issue and in turn also helps the residents communicate with patients and their families," she added.

The curriculum included five one-hour, in-person workshops combining instruction with hands-on simulation.

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