Evaluation of resuscitation skills in new residents before and after pediatric advanced life support course.

OBJECTIVE Acquisition of resuscitation skills taught in advanced resuscitation courses has not been evaluated. We sought to determine the interobserver reliability of a resuscitation performance skills checklist to assess resident performance of bag mask ventilation, intubation, defibrillation, and intraosseous vascular access, and to measure skill acquisition by entering residents after a pediatric advanced life support (PALS) course. DESIGN The resuscitation skills of all 39 pediatric R1's in 2 university-based training programs were assessed immediately before and after completion of a PALS course just before starting residency. Independent observers scored and timed resident performance of bag mask ventilation, endotracheal intubation, intraosseous access, and defibrillation. Scores before and after the PALS course were compared. Four independent observers scored 4 residents' videotaped skills performance. Observers' scores for each resident were compared. RESULTS Successful performance improved for bag mask ventilation from 62% to 97% after the PALS course; for successful endotracheal intubation, from 64% to 90%; for successful intraosseous needle placement, from 54% to 92%; and for successful defibrillation, from 77% to 97%. Interobserver reliability was high for continuous and noncontinuous variables. CONCLUSIONS New residents demonstrated significant acquisition of pediatric resuscitation skills immediately after completion of the PALS course. The skills performance checklist has excellent interobserver reliability and is a useful tool for evaluation of other training venues.