A Two-week, Hands-on Educational Program for Primary Care Pediatricians Aimed at Equalization of Pediatric Allergy Practice across Institutions and Regions

Introduction: Similar to other countries, in Japan, the demand for primary care pediatricians has increased due to the surge in pediatric allergic diseases, and with the change in a paradigm shift regarding the prevention of pediatric allergic disease in the last 20 years, they have had an increased need for retraining. To offer better support to children and their caregivers, educational needs for bridging the gap between knowledge and practice must be met. Therefore, we developed an educational program including practical and interactive approaches for pediatricians in 2012.

Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of a 2-week program, behavioral changes, knowledge and skill improvements in clinical practice, and the satisfaction level of participants before and after the course were investigated. Kirkpatrick's four levels of training evaluation were employed to assess the educational effect. Seven years (April 2014 to March 2021) worth of results were assessed.

Results: A total of 65 pediatricians voluntarily participated in the program. Most of them were <40 years old and came from various regions of Japan. Results of pretraining and posttraining questionnaires in terms of their knowledge and skills on a four-point scale revealed significant improvements. Participants also reported their behavioral changes after 6 months of the course and evaluated the program's practicality. Each participant set new goals to be achieved in 6 months, and 36 (76.6%) of them set objectives for implementing oral food challenge tests.

Conclusions: The results revealed that the program not only enhanced their knowledge and skills for practice but also changed their behaviors toward clinical practice. In pediatric allergy, where community primary pediatricians have important roles to play, such an educational program should be further developed.