Pediatric environmental health training. Impact on pediatric residents

C. F. Bearer and R. Phillips
Children's Hospital, Research Institute, Oakland, CA.

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether incorporation of a course in pediatric environmental health into a pediatric residency program would alter residents' behavior in history taking. DESIGN--Retrospective chart review. SETTING--Large pediatric training hospital in northern California. PARTICIPANTS--Twenty-three children admitted with asthma by 12 pediatric residents in June 1991 and a control group of 28 children admitted with asthma by 17 pediatric residents in June 1990. INTERVENTIONS--None. MEASUREMENTS/MAIN RESULTS--The initial history and physical assessments were examined for all patients with status asthmaticus admitted to Children's Hospital Oakland (Calif) in June 1990 and 1991. Chi-square analysis revealed a significant difference in the number of environmental questions asked in the group trained in pediatric environmental health compared with the group that received no instruction. CONCLUSIONS--The incorporation of a course in pediatric environmental health markedly affected pediatric residents' behavior in assessing environmental causes for common illnesses. We recommend that the course, "Kids and the Environment," be incorporated into other pediatric residency programs, and that the efficacy of the course be determined by chart review.