摘要
Purpose： This study was formulated to educate physicians and medical residents on procalcitonin （PCT）. The need for this study is based on lack of information and studies in the United States in the pediatric population regarding PCT, and also due to the lack of awareness by the Baylor Scott ＆ White McLane Children＇s residents in the implications and benefits of PCT. There are several instances where it can be valuable in the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections, which in turn, can decrease patient＇s length of stay, hospital costs, and patient exposure to unnecessary antibiotics, without increasing morbidity or mortality. Methods： An educational, qualitative analysis of PCT awareness is assessed utilizing pre and post surveys. These surveys will be given to pediatric and emergency medicine residents on paper before and after an educational presentation about PCT and its importance as a detection method for infection. Surveys consist of six closed-ended questions on the pre-survey and eight open and close-ended questions on the post-survey about PCT, how it works, general use, and how it can be beneficial. Results： Pediatric and emergency medicine residents were asked to participate in this study at a random monthly department meeting, selected by primary investigator and department head. Residents were asked to complete the pre-survey, listened to a short presentation, and completed the post survey. Comparing the pre-survey to post-survey, there was an overall improvement for both groups for questions 1-5 which showed statistical significance （P 〈 0.05）. No statistical difference was found between groups comparing emergency medicine vs. pediatric departments, interns vs. residents and each subgroup pre-survey vs. post-survey for questions 6 and 7. The open-ended post-survey question identified factors for obtaining PCT levels with attending physician＇s preference as the most common response. Conclusions： This prospective study identified gaps in PCT knowledge base, an overall increase in PCT comprehension by pediatric and emergency medicine residents, and identified factors for obtaining PCT levels upon patient admission.
