ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIM: The COVID-19 pandemic both highlighted the importance of identifying respiratory distress and limited in-person training to develop such skills. Respiratory distress caused by infections represents significant pediatric morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to conduct a needs assessment on trainees' attitudes about the identification and management of pediatric respiratory distress. METHOD(S): A needs assessment was conducted with medical students and residents at the University of Gondar Hospital, Ethiopia. Topics included comfort with identifying and managing pediatric respiratory distress and preferred teaching methods. The means for each teaching method were calculated. RESULT(S): Seventeen trainees were surveyed, including medical students (n=3) and residents (n=14). Trainees were very or somewhat uncomfortable with identifying nasal flaring (29%) and cyanosis (24%). Trainees were very or somewhat uncomfortable with the concepts of emergency triage assessment and treatment for children in respiratory distress (29%) and with applying bubble continuous positive airway pressure (35%). Almost all trainees (92%) indicated a need for training on the identification and management of pediatric respiratory distress. Trainees ranked practical skills as the preferred teaching method, followed by hands-on simulation, videos, and written tests. Based on the needs assessment, a video curriculum was developed to address identified gaps in pediatric respiratory distress education. CONCLUSION(S): There is a need for curricula about pediatric respiratory distress for trainees in global health settings. We have developed an instructional video curriculum to be piloted in Ethiopia in 2022. Research is needed to evaluate the curriculum's pedagogic outcomes.