Pediatric Fluids and Electrolytes: A Flipped Classroom

Abstract

Abstract Introduction During the preclinical years of training, students are exposed to the many physiological and pathophysiological effectors of the body's fluids and electrolytes. This exposure is beneficial, as management of fluids and electrolytes is ubiquitous in the inpatient hospital setting. However, students may be unprepared for the practical clinical aspects of this management and as a result may learn it piecemeal during their clinical rotations. Even for those students who begin their pediatrics clerkship with previous clerkship experience, the differences between adults and children may mean that even they are less than fully prepared to manage their pediatric patients. This module includes a flipped-classroom session designed to teach pediatric fluids and electrolyte abnormalities and their treatment to students of clinical pediatrics. The content and learning objectives are based on Council of Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP) goals for the teaching of fluid and electrolyte management. Methods There are three short videos to be watched prior to the in-class session; alternatively, students who prefer written resources are provided with suggested publications and a supplementary document. After the students have reviewed the preclass resources, there is an in-class case-based session where groups of students manage a dehydrated child's fluids and electrolytes from admission to after discharge from a hospital. A pretest administered before the preclass work and a posttest given at the end of the class session help evaluate what information students have learned. The posttest also includes a section for student feedback. Results Student performance between pre− and posttest improved after the flipped classroom. Students also reported new and better understanding of management of pediatric fluids and electrolytes after the session, especially after facilitators had become experienced at running the session. Facilitators also commented on how the flipped classroom was a more enjoyable teaching experience than a traditional lecture. Discussion Although students are exposed to the physiological and pathophysiological effectors of body fluids and electrolytes, many learn the practical clinical aspects of their management in a piecemeal process. This resources uses a flipped-classroom model to address this gap.

Keywords

• Nutrition
• Dehydration
• Case-Based
• Pediatrics
• Case
• Electrolytes