COVID-19 has fundamentally altered how education is delivered. Gordon et al. previously conducted a review of medical education developments in response to COVID-19; however, the field has rapidly ...

An update on developments in medical education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: A BEME scoping review: BEME Guide No. 64.

Exploring the Role of Infographics for Summarizing Medical Literature

There is currently a lot of interest in pilot studies conducted in preparation for randomised controlled trials. This paper focuses on sample size requirements for external pilot studies for cluster randomised trials. We consider how large an external pilot study needs to be to assess key parameters for input to the main trial sample size calculation when the primary outcome is continuous, and to estimate rates, for example recruitment rates, with reasonable precision. We used simulation to provide the distribution of the expected number of clusters for the main trial under different assumptions about the natural cluster size, intra-cluster correlation, eventual cluster size in the main trial, and various decisions made at the piloting stage. We chose intra-cluster correlation values and pilot study size to reflect those commonly reported in the literature. Our results show that estimates of sample size required for the main trial are likely to be biased downwards and very imprecise unless the pilot study includes large numbers of clusters and individual participants. We conclude that pilot studies will usually be too small to estimate parameters required for estimating a sample size for a main cluster randomised trial (e.g. the intra-cluster correlation coefficient) with sufficient precision and too small to provide reliable estimates of rates for process measures such as recruitment or follow-up rates.

How big should the pilot study for my cluster randomised trial be

Implementation and outcome evaluation of high-fidelity simulation scenarios to integrate cognitive and psychomotor skills for Korean nursing students

Healthcare resources have been strained to previously unforeseeable limits as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. This has prompted the emergence of critical just-in-time COVID-19 education, including rapid simulation preparedness, evaluation and training across all healthcare sectors. Simulation has been proven to be pivotal for both healthcare provider learning and systems integration in the context of testing and integrating new processes, workflows, and rapid changes to practice (e.g., new cognitive aids, checklists, protocols) and changes to the delivery of clinical care. The individual, team, and systems learnings generated from proactive simulation training is occurring at unprecedented volume and speed in our healthcare system. Establishing a clear process to collect and report simulation outcomes has never been more important for staff and patient safety to reduce preventable harm. Our provincial simulation program in the province of Alberta, Canada (population = 4.37 million; geographic area = 661,848 km2), has rapidly responded to this need by leading the intake, design, development, planning, and co-facilitation of over 400 acute care simulations across our province in both urban and rural Emergency Departments, Intensive Care Units, Operating Rooms, Labor and Delivery Units, Urgent Care Centers, Diagnostic Imaging and In-patient Units over a 5-week period to an estimated 30,000 learners of real frontline team members. Unfortunately, the speed at which the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged in Canada may prevent healthcare sectors in both urban and rural settings to have an opportunity for healthcare teams to participate in just-in-time in situ simulation-based learning prior to a potential surge of COVID-19 patients. Our coordinated approach and infrastructure have enabled organizational learnings and the ability to theme and categorize a mass volume of simulation outcome data, primarily from acute care settings to help all sectors further anticipate and plan. The goal of this paper is to share the unique features and advantages of using a centralized provincial simulation response team, preparedness using learning and systems integration methods, and to share the highest risk and highest frequency outcomes from analyzing a mass volume of COVID-19 simulation data across the largest health authority in Canada.

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COVID-19 pandemic preparation: using simulation for systems-based learning to prepare the largest healthcare workforce and system in Canada.

Introduction : Although simulation-based training is increasingly used for medical education, its benefits in continuing medical education (CME) are less established. This study seeks to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating simulation-based training into a CME conference and compare its effectiveness with the traditional workshop in improving knowledge and self-reported confidence. Methods : Participants ( N =27) were group randomized to either a simulation-based workshop or a traditional case-based workshop. Results : Post-training, knowledge assessment score neither did increase significantly in the traditional group ( d =0.13; p =0.76) nor did significantly decrease in the simulation group ( d = − 0.44; p =0.19). Self-reported comfort in patient assessment parameters increased in both groups ( p <0.05 in all). However, only the simulation group reported an increase in comfort in patient management ( d =1.1, p =0.051 for the traditional group and d =1.3; p = 0.0003 for the simulation group). At 1 month, comfort measures in the traditional group increased consistently over time while these measures in the simulation group increased post-workshop but decreased by 1 month, suggesting that some of the effects of training with simulation may be short lived. Discussion : The use of simulation-based training was not associated with benefits in knowledge acquisition, knowledge retention, or comfort in patient assessment. It was associated with superior outcomes in comfort in patient management, but this benefit may be short-lived. Further studies are required to better define the conditions under which simulation-based training is beneficial. Keywords: patient simulation; continuing medical education; pregnancy-induced hypertension (Published: 18 July 2013) Citation: Med Educ Online 2013, 18 : 21312 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v18i0.21312

Feasibility of scenario-based simulation training versus traditional workshops in continuing medical education: a randomized controlled trial.

Development and reconstruction of new healthcare facilities and spaces has the potential for latent safety threats to emerge, specifically unintentional harm that could affect actual patients once the facility opens, such as missing equipment, inefficient setup, or insufficient space for procedures. Process-orientated simulation and testing is a novel innovation in healthcare. The aim of process-orientated simulations and debriefing is to examine the process of care, rather than the outcome of care. These simulations, which take place in actual patient care settings and environments prior to occupancy, are an emerging strategy that can be used to test new environments and new healthcare facilities to ensure that the spaces created match the needs of the staff and administration, while proactively identifying latent safety threats prior to delivering patient care. In turn, these simulations can be also be used as part of the new site orientation and training plan. The aim of this paper is to examine a case study describing the use of the novel innovation of process-orientated simulations to test the opening of a new 300-bed healthcare facility.

/pdf/commissioning-simulations-to-test-new-healthcare-facilities-1k06cafpog.pdf

Commissioning simulations to test new healthcare facilities: a proactive and innovative approach to healthcare system safety

Purpose:The aim of this article is to outline overall goals, recommendations, and provide practical How-To strategies for developing and facilitating patient safety and system integration (PSSI) si...

Sue Barnes

Papers

COVID-19 pandemic preparation: using simulation for systems-based learning to prepare the largest healthcare workforce and system in Canada.

Feasibility of scenario-based simulation training versus traditional workshops in continuing medical education: a randomized controlled trial.

Commissioning simulations to test new healthcare facilities: a proactive and innovative approach to healthcare system safety

Goals, Recommendations, and the How-To Strategies for Developing and Facilitating Patient Safety and System Integration Simulations.