Initiation of a pediatric mock code program at a children's hospital.

Background: Pediatric cardiopulmonary arrests are rare. Mock codes were instituted to bridge the gap between opportunity and reality.

Objective: The goal was to improve medical caregivers' skills in pediatric resuscitation.

Methods: All pediatric and internal medicine/pediatric (med/peds) residents were anonymously surveyed pre- and post-intervention about confidence level about codes and code skills. Twenty mock codes were conducted during the 1 year intervention period. Statistical comparisons were made between each resident pre- and post-survey, graduating third-year residents (PGY3s) prior to intervention versus PGY3s with mock codes and pediatric versus med/peds residents.

Results: All residents significantly improved in their perception of overall skill level during the study (p < 0.0001). PGY3s were significantly more confident in their skills than PGY2s or PGY1s and PGY2s were significantly more confident than PGY1s both pre- and post-mock codes (p < 0.0001). Med/peds residents were significantly more confident in their skills than pediatric residents both pre- (p = 0.041) and post-intervention (p = 0.016). The two skills with the lowest score post-intervention were the ability to place an interosseous line and the ability to manage cardiac dysrhythmias.

Conclusions: Pediatric mock codes can improve resident confidence and self-assessment of their resuscitation skills. Data from surveys such as this can be used to design future skill-based educational initiatives.