Use of a high-fidelity simulator to develop testing of the technical performance of novice anaesthetists

Abstract

Background. We used the Delphi technique to gain a consensus from 26 consultant anaesthetists about technical tasks during general anaesthesia. We then developed a technical scoring system to assess anaesthetists undertaking general anaesthesia with rapid sequence induction. Methods. We then followed the performance of six novice anaesthetists on five occasions during their first 3 months of training. At each, visit each novice 'anaesthetized' the Human Patient Simulator at Bristol Medical Simulator Centre. For comparison seven post-fellowship anaesthetists were scored on one occasion. Results. Novice scores improved significantly over the 12-week period (P<0.01). A significant difference was also found between the final novice scores and the post-fellowship subjects (P<0.05). Conclusions. These findings suggest that simulation can be used to observe and quantify technical performance.