Bridging the knowledge-resuscitation gap for children: Still a long way to go

Abstract

The American Heart Association, along with the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, recently made changes to the paediatric resuscitation guidelines. Knowledge translation (KT) is imperative, but there is a lack of sufficient evidence for appropriate methodologies for implementation of these guidelines. Paediatric resuscitation presents many challenges; cases happen infrequently, affording few opportunities for implementation of the new guidelines, and are highly stressful and filled with uncertainty. Some KT strategies have shown some success in causing a notable degree of change in behaviour, but none have shown a striking difference when used alone. Previous efforts to disseminate current guidelines centred on development of courses for heakh care providers and preparing paediatric residents and paediatricians for circumstances they could encounter with paediatric acute illness. None of the studies assessing these techniques measured direct patient outcomes, and only a few demonstrated some long-term knowledge acquisition among trainees. The purpose of the present review was to illuminate the challenges, offer future directions for KT and outline potentially more effective methodologies and strategies to overcome current barriers. ©2007 Pulsus Group Inc. All rights reserved.