Transform Code Blue Boot Camp
Paediatric Critical Care Medicine's PALS refresher
The Department of Paediatrics & Child Health's Critical Care Medicine section holds a CODE BLUE bootcamp, which is open to healthcare professionals.
This bootcamp is designed to address the challenge of hospital professionals (specifically paediatric residents, and nurses) retaining Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) skills. PALS recertification is recommended every two years but a gap exists in retaining skills and knowledge.
The bootcamp thus enhances the skills and knowledge of paediatric Residents, trainees, and healthcare workers in managing critical paediatric resuscitation scenarios such as shock, respiratory failure, and rhythm disturbances.
The low-fidelity hybrid simulation training has improved trainee confidence and skills. This teaching approach stands out for its innovative use of a low-fidelity hybrid simulation model, making training cost-effective, accessible, and easily replicable.
A structured debriefing reinforces learning outcomes and helps improve systems by identifying individual and team weaknesses, as well as crises resource management.
Transform Code Blue boot camps have been conducted bi-monthly since February 2022 for over 50 paediatric residents and nurses. A one-year follow-up survey indicated that participants applied the acquired knowledge in real-world scenarios, managing critically ill children with varying severity. The majority found the training helpful and reported increased confidence.
Teams of 5 to 6 volunteer paediatric Residents and nurses directly perform simulation cases on a mannequin for 10 minutes attached to an online monitor which is visible to other participants. Participants are tested in their ability to perform high quality CPR. They are provided IV access to give medications and IV fluids, are challenged to calculate dosage, intubate, manage airways.
An online simulated patient monitor “Usimpl Version 1.3.8" shows paediatric cardiac rhythms, heart rate, saturation, respiratory rate, invasive as well as noninvasive blood pressure and ETCO2 on a monitor. The participants are able to defibrillate, cardiovert and pace through the defibrillation panel.
The cases cover critical scenarios, including paediatric shock (septic shock and cardiogenic shock), bradycardia, asystole, pulseless electrical activity (PEA), ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, and upper and lower airway obstructions.
To take part in the next bootcamp, please contact:
Dr Naveed ur Rehman Siddiqui
Assistant Professor
Section head
Paediatric Critical Care Medicine and
Paediatric Critical Care Fellowship program director
naveed.rehman@aku.edu
