Effectiveness of in-situ room-of-error simulation on anesthesia ventilator preparation among nurse anesthetist students: A quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Background: Anesthesia ventilator preparation is essential for ensuring patient safety. The “Room of Error” (ROE) is a low-fidelity simulation method designed to improve patient safety skills. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of in-situ ROE simulation training in improving student nurse anesthetists’ clinical performance in anesthesia ventilator preparation and to compare its impact with that of didactic lectures. Methods: A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted in a public hospital in Morocco. Thirty-nine nurse anesthesia students were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group (n = 20) that received in situ ROE simulation training and a control group (n = 19) that received only lecture-based instruction. Performance was assessed using an author-developed scale. Within-and between-group comparisons were performed using McNemar’s and Fisher’s exact tests (p < 0.05). Results: The ROE simulation significantly improved the participants’ performance in anesthesia ventilator preparation (p < 0.05). The experimental group demonstrated statistically significant differences in only three anesthesia ventilator preparation procedures: oxygen reserve checks (p < 0.001), anti-pollution system verification (p < 0.001), and suction device testing (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Students’ performance improved after the simulation, indicating effective transfer of learning to the clinical setting. Compared to didactic lectures, the ROE method was more effective in developing critical technical skills related to anesthesia ventilator preparation.