This study is designed to evaluate a formal curriculum for teaching basic procedures to pediatric interns at Children''''s Hospital, Boston. The incoming class of interns for the academic year ''''05-06 will be randomly assigned to participate in the curriculum or not. Four procedures including intravenous catheter insertion, venipuncture (blood drawing), bag-and-mask ventilation, and lumbar puncture (spinal tap) will be taught. Interns will then be tested on their ability to perform these skills on anatomic models and on live patients. Our hypothesis is that interns receiving the formal curriculum will be more confident and more successful in performing these procedures than those who do not.

Condition	Intervention
Health Personnel Healthy	Procedure: Formal Curriculum; Low-Fidelity Simulation

Further Study Details: 

Primary Outcomes: 1. Percent successful IV placement over 6 months; 2. Percent successful venipunctures over 6 months; 3. Score on lumbar puncture subcomponent checklist on simulator at 6 months; 4. Score on bag mask ventilation subcomponent checklist on simulator at 6 months.
Secondary Outcomes: Bag Mask Ventilation: 1. Percentage able to successfully ventilate simulator at 0 and 6 months; 2. Average score on subcomponent checklist at 6 months; 3. Average time to success at 0 and 6 months; 4. Score (%) on written test at 0 and 6 months; 5. Average likert scale scores on confidence with procedures at 6 months; IV insertion: 1. Percent successful PIV insertion on simulator at 0 and 6 months; 2. Score (%) on subcomponent checklist at 0 and 6 months; 3. Score (%) on written test at 0 and 6 months; 4. Average likert scale scores on confidence with procedures at 6 months; Venipuncture: 1. Percent successful VP insertion on simulator at 0 and 6 months; 2. Score (%) on subcomponent checklist at 0 and 6 months; 3. Score (%) on written test at 0 and 6 months; 4. Average likert scale scores on confidence with procedures at 6 months; Lumbar puncture: 1. Percentage of atraumatic LP attempts over 6 months; 2. Score (%) on subcomponent checklist on simulator at 6 months; 3. Score (%) on subcomponent checklist on first live patient LP; 4. Number of attempts needed to demonstrate competence; 5. Score (%) on written test at 0 and 6 months; 6. Average likert scale scores on confidence with procedures at 6 months
Expected Total Enrollment:  38

Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pediatric Intern in the Boston Combined Residency Program for AY ''''05-''''06

Exclusion Criteria:

• None

Massachusetts
      Children''''s Hospital Boston, Boston,  Massachusetts,  02115,  United States

Study chairs or principal investigators

Michael G Gaies, MD MPH,  Principal Investigator,  Childrens''''s Hospital, Boston   

Study ID Numbers:  CH 05-05-040
Record last reviewed:  June 2005
Last Updated:  June 30, 2005
Record first received:  June 23, 2005
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00115596
Health Authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-07-05