1.53 Empowering Care for Youth with Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders Through Case-Based Simulations and Education

Youth with somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRDs) are at risk for hospital-based events like falls, near-fall events, and nonepileptic events. Given that most patients do not have harm during these events, appropriate management includes mainly supportive care with no medical evaluation and for the patient to finish the event with an encouraged return to baseline. This incredibly different approach to care is often difficult for nursing and medical providers to understand. We sought to educate nurses regarding youth with SSRDs, their management, and how to respond during these events and in turn improve their confidence. The study consisted of a pre- and postsurvey given to a nursing cohort. The survey was composed of multiple-choice questions and utilized a Likert scale to rate knowledge and confidence for nursing tasks when interacting with youth with SSRDs. After the presurvey, nursing viewed a 12-minute-long video of educational content on pediatric SSRDs and case-based simulations. After 1 month, the postsurvey was released to the same cohort. Statistical analysis was done comparing the pre- and postsurvey confidence of each question as well as improvement of correct responses to the knowledge-based questions. Variables including the demographic data were analyzed for statistical significance. Pre- and postsurvey responses were linked to allow for evaluation of interparticipant changes in response. A total of 203 unique participants completed both pre- and postimplementation surveys. The survey response rate was 56%. All 4 knowledge-based questions showed improvement in correct responses with 2 of the 4 responses showing statistically significant improvement (p < .001, .004, .11, and .32, respectively). For nearly all confidence-based nursing task questions, there was a statistically significant improvement in reported confidence (all p < .001). The use of brief video educational content providing knowledge and practical management strategies for youth with SSRDs at risk for fall events results in an improvement in knowledge and confidence among nursing staff in the care of this population. Future directions of this education involve further expanding this to medical providers such as residents and staff attendings.