The Implementation of a Multi-institutional Multidisciplinary Simulation-based Resuscitation Skills Training Curriculum

Abstract

Competency-based curricula require the development of novel simulation-based programs focused on the assessment of entrustable professional activities. The design and delivery of simulation-based programs are labor-intensive and expensive. Furthermore, they are often developed by individual programs and are rarely shared between institutions, resulting in duplicate efforts and the inefficient use of resources. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a previously developed simulation-based curriculum at a second institution. We sought to demonstrate comparable program-level outcomes between our two study sites. A multi-disciplinary, simulation-based, resuscitation skills training curriculum developed at Queen's University was implemented at the University of Saskatchewan. Standardized simulation cases, assessment tools, and program evaluation instruments were used at both institutions. Across both sites, 87 first-year postgraduate medical trainees from 14 different residency programs participated in the course and the related research. A total of 226 simulated cases were completed in over 80 sessions. Program evaluation data demonstrated that the instructor experience and learner experience were consistent between sites. The average confidence score (on a 5-point scale) across sites for resuscitating acutely ill patients was 3.14 before the course and 4.23 (p < 0.001) after the course. We have described the successful implementation of a previously developed simulation-based resuscitation curriculum at a second institution. With the growing need for competency-based instructional methods and assessment tools, we believe that programs will benefit from standardizing and sharing simulation resources rather than developing curricula de novo.