The Impact of a Clinical Asthma Pathway on Resident Education

Clinical pathways for asthma management decrease hospital cost and length of stay; however little is known about the educational impact of pathways on residents. Pediatric residents at a children's hospital (N=114) were invited to complete a 22-item computerized, anonymous survey 6 months before and 6 months after asthma pathway implementation. The survey assessed pathway use and residents (1) pathway knowledge, (2) attitudes and experiences with managing asthma, and (3) perceived educational benefits. Mean pathway knowledge score increased from the case before to the case after implementation [1.5±1.0 versus 2.6±1.3, p<0.001], as did high preparedness to manage asthma [61% versus 91%, p<0.001] and electronic order set use [28% versus 80%, p<0.001]. The top three educational benefits of the pathway endorsed by residents were application of evidence-based medicine (57%), ability to assess exacerbations (52%), and skill at communicating respiratory status (47%). After implementation, residents' knowledge and preparedness to manage asthma improved as well as many endorsed educational benefits.