Pediatric triage education: An integrative literature review.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to review the currently published literature on the topic of pediatric triage education. METHOD: An integrative review of the literature was conducted using database searching and historical record review. RESULTS: A wide variety of pediatric triage educational methods exist, but studies with the highest-quality ratings most often used simulation programs or a standardized curriculum. Although there was a good deal of heterogeneity in terms of the outcomes measured, the accuracy of triage improved following educational interventions. DISCUSSION: Additional research is needed to compare different methods of pediatric triage education directly. Emergency nurses should be aware that pediatric triage is a high-risk event, and some educational methods may have advantages over others. In addition, although retention of pediatric triage skills is affected by the method and timing of pediatric triage education, emergency nurses should remain aware that improved pediatric triage skills could lead to improved pediatric outcomes, and target this as an area for further research.

Parental quality of life: caring for an infant or toddler with a tracheostomy at home.

PURPOSE: To explore the relationships between stress, coping, duration of tracheostomy, and quality of life (QOL) of parental caregivers who care for a child with a tracheostomy at home. DESIGN: A cross-sectional correlational design was used to study parents who care for a child with a tracheostomy at home. Family Inventory of Life Events, Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale, and Psychological General Well-Being Index were used to measure stress, coping, and QOL, respectively. Data were collected using both online and paper-pencil format. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE: quality of life. RESULTS: Parents who care for their infants/toddlers with a tracheostomy at home were found to be in moderate distress. Mean age of the participants was 33 years (N = 71), and the average duration of the child's tracheotomy was 18.22 (SD = 9.59) months. Multivariate analysis showed a significant inverse relationship between QOL and stress. QOL was significantly associated with coping, B = 19.91, ß = .43, p <.001.