The development, implementation and evaluation of an Evidence-Based Biohazard Training Program within a Pediatric Ambulatory Practice

Background: Communicable disease(s) such as Ebola or Coronavirus can cause a catastrophic health crisis within the United States healthcare system, especially among the pediatric and elderly population. Lack of knowledge, skills and confidence among health care professionals in the pediatric setting regarding these infectious organisms can affect early identification, proper isolation, early treatment, and increased risk of a possible pandemic and/or fatalities. Aims/Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate an evidence-based biohazard training program-using the Identify, Isolate and Inform (3I) tool within a pediatric urgent care center to increase the staff’s knowledge, skills and confidence in managing these high-risk patients. Methods: This quality improvement project involved sixteen pediatric urgent care center staff members who took part in the biohazard-training program utilizing a pre and posttest via a modified Knowledge, Skills, Attitude (KAP) survey. Results: A 70% knowledge (K) score, 96.9% attitude (A) score and 87.5% practice (P) score including a total KAP score of 84.8% were obtained at baseline with 56.2% self-report confidence. After the completion of the evidencebased biohazard-training program, a 10% increase in the categories of knowledge, attitude and practice was found and maintained for 60-days post training with an increased confidence level of 74.5%. Conclusion: An evidence-based biohazard-training program using the 3I tool is useful in the identification and management of communicable disease(s). The training program may be an effective preventative measure to minimize infection and prevent the spread of a contagion. Therefore, more research is needed with a larger sample size to determine its usefulness within a clinical setting