St. Mary's Hospital in London implemented an in situ simulation training program in their pediatric intensive care unit in 2005. The program was developed to provide realistic training for pediatric healthcare professionals using the actual equipment and environment of the pediatric wards. Trainees practice managing various pediatric medical emergencies in weekly simulations led by Dr. De Munter and other instructors. The in situ training model allows for flexible, efficient training integrated into clinical work and provides experience in a controlled environment. Evaluations found the training improved staff confidence and skills in communicating, working as a team, and managing high-risk pediatric situations.
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In Situ Simulation in Pediatric Wards
London, UK
Imperial College Healthcare
EllenThomsetha
, Claudine De Munterb
Case study
a
Laerdal Medical AS,Tanke Svilandsgate 30, N-4007 Stavanger, Norway
b
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, St Marys Hospital Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust South
Wharf rd, London W21NY
This case study describes various aspects of in situ simulation in
Pediatric Intensive Care.The document was developed in collaboration
with and approved by St Marys Hospital, part of Imperial College.
2. 2
Case Study from LAERDAL
ST MARYS HOSPITAL
Website: http://www.imperial.nhs.uk/stmarys/index.htm
St Marys Hospital is a general acute teaching hospital that
diagnoses and treats a range of adult and pediatric conditions.
The pediatric service includes a dedicated childrens emergency
department and pediatric intensive care unit, and a number of
specialty services (infectious diseases, allergy, clinical hematology
and bone marrow transplants, neurology and nephrology).
The hospital has pioneered the use of robotic surgery, including
the UKs first daVinci robot for keyhole surgery. Simulation
training has taken place in designated training facilities for a
number of years and was extended to include in situ training for
pediatric healthcare personnel in 2005.
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Case Study from LAERDAL
PREFACE
This case study provides insights into why St Marys Hospital
in London wanted to expand the hospitals simulation training
program to include in situ simulation, how in situ training was
implemented, and some of their experiences so far.
WHY IN SITU SIMULATION
Recognizing that clinical emergency situations in infants are
frequently perceived as extremely challenging and threatening
by core medical personnel, consultant pediatric intensivist
Dr Claudine De Munter at St Marys Hospital wanted to start
infant simulation training at the hospital. St Marys Hospital
already had a simulation center for anesthetic and surgical
training in use. Convinced however that in situ training had
major advantages over training facilitated at the established
simulation center, Dr De Munter and her colleague consultant
pediatric intensivist Dr Mehrengise Cooper developed a
training program for general pediatricians in the management
of critical illnesses of the infant.
Augmented reality: Training conducted on the premises, ie
within the hospitals general pediatric wards, would allow
healthcare professionals to train together in their own
environment, using the tools and equipment they normally
use.The possibility of replicating incidents that occur in
pediatric intensive care units would further increase the
relevance of the training. Having the simulators stored on the
ward would make it quick and easy to set up the simulations;
hence training could be facilitated more often.All in all, it was
agreed that in situ training would have a positive impact on
critical care delivered to infants at St Marys Hospital.
HOWTHE PROCESS EVOLVED
St Marys Hospital is the first hospital in the UK to start a full
in situ training program, which has been in operation since
2005.A grant from a UK neonatal charity organization (Save
the Baby) secured the purchase of their first human patient
simulator (SimBaby).The London Deanery2
(responsible
for postgraduate medical and dental training in London and
actively promoting simulation) funded the second one in
2008. Dr De Munter developed her own trolley set-up for
these two simulators and started conducting in situ training
right away.
FINANCIAL MODEL
The human patient simulators were procured from sources
outside the hospital while essential consumables are obtained
directly from the wards. Continuing funding for maintenance,
possibly future extension of current training solutions and for
general support of the facilitated training is however not in
place at St Marys Hospital at the time of writing.
ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL
Dr De Munter conducts the majority of the simulations
herself, acting as both instructor and operator. Dr Cooper
helps out when possible and organizes the junior doctors
training. Pediatric intensive care senior staff nurse Anne
Dawson organizes training for the pediatric nurses and
participates in the multidisciplinary simulated sessions.
Staff competency levels
The instructors have a medical background. Formal instructor
courses are not required as the accumulated experience
gathered from years of simulations has been considered
sufficient.
Staffing
2 consultant pediatric intensivists
1 intensive care nurse
Facilities
The pediatric department comprises 3 general pediatric
wards, 1 accident/emergency ward and 1 outpatient ward.
The simulations take place on the general pediatric wards or
in the A&E ward.
METHODOLOGY
SimulationTraining
Activity: The simulations are facilitated on a weekly basis,
and the training sessions take place in the midst of the daily
routines, often in the presence of the hospitalized childrens
parents. Family members enjoy watching the simulations, as
they feel more assured when realizing that the medical staff
takes training seriously.All junior doctors and nurses are
encouraged by their educational supervisors to participate in
the training.
How: Normally 1 nurse and 1 doctor train together.
The instructor provides a short introduction to the scenario
and then uses the simulator on the fly.This way the instructor
can more easily adapt the scenario to the participants current
skills and performance level, which naturally varies from one
team to the next. Scenarios are often repeated to refine the
performance.
Duration: Normally 45-60 minutes.
Debriefing
Each simulation is followed by a debrief session lasting
around 15-20 minutes.The facilitator emails comments to
the individual participants later on.Time does not allow for
personalized, lengthy debriefing sessions.
Audio visual recordings: Simulations are videotaped and,
due to time constraints, used for documentation rather than
debriefing purposes.When there is disagreement regarding
what took place during a simulated session, the recordings are
shown to the participants to clear up the misunderstandings.
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Case Study from LAERDAL
Curriculum
Dr De Munter has developed a separate collection of
scenarios comprising the clinical conditions most frequently
occurring in PICU.
The following scenarios are the most frequently used
Anaphylactic shock
Arrhythmia
Asthma
Bronchiolitis
Burns
Convulsions
Head trauma
Meningitis
Pneumothorax
Rashes
Respiratory failure
Septic shock
A mixture of the above
Developments in London
Starting in 2008, a collaboration between pediatric intensivists,
pediatric tutors from 12-13 London hospitals, and the
School of Pediatrics at the London Deanery, has led to the
development of official training courses for both in situ
training and training across the hospitals simulation centers.
These programs concern all pediatric trainees within London.
Other, similar infant crisis resource management scenarios
that include communication scenarios and part task training
are also employed.
CompulsoryTraining
Starting in 2010, the 2-300 London junior doctors will have
16 hours (2 full days) of compulsory simulation training per
year. Other deaneries in the UK are now looking to the
London Deanery and it is assumed that many will follow their
example in the years to come.
EXPERIENCE SO FAR
Staff reflections
- The best thing is that they have to get the equipment,
meds, and monitors that they would need. Practicing in
their own environment makes the training more
transferable to the real world.
- Participants may seem apprehensive at first, but after the
debrief they see the purpose, and they really like it.
- Communication with the doctors is definitely transferable.
Identified Benefits
More multidisciplinary staff can train as there is no need to
leave the workplace
Flexibility:The trolley system is easily moved between the
3 separate units
Time efficient: 10 minutes to set up simulation trolley, 10
minutes to tidy up
Increased familiarity with the equipment normally used
All pediatric nurses and junior doctors are able to train at
least twice a year
Identified Challenges
The main issue concerns the fact that the faculty team is
small.Training is dependant on the availabilities of either
one of the two pediatric intensivists.
This challenge is however being addressed since, thanks to
the London Deanerys back up, trainers are being trained
and faculty will grow.
Identified Success Factors
Formal instructor training (such as theTrain-The-Trainer
course) *
Sufficient space for equipment (for both training and
storage)
An efficient setup and packing system for the training
equipment (which saves time)
*TuPASS (Germany, Barts (London), and DIMS (Denmark)
simulation centers collaborate on developing and conductingTrain-The-
Trainer courses. For additional information: http://www.EUsim.org/
TRAINING SOLUTION
The training equipment currently includes:
2 SimBaby
1 Smots portable AVS
Skills trainers
Figure 1. SimBaby with all belongings neatly stored in a lockable trolley.
The two trolleys are each placed in a corner of the PICU when not in use.
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WHAT MAKES GOOD SIMULATION PROGRAMS
Issenberg et al3
reviewed and synthesized existing evidence in
educational science that addressed the following question:
What are the features and uses of high-fidelity medical
simulations that lead to most effective learning?
Issenberg argued, that the weight of the best available
evidence suggests that high-fidelity medical simulations
facilitate learning, when training is conducted under the right
conditions.
The right conditions include
Feedback is provided during the learning experience
Learners engage in repetitive practice
Simulation is integrated with the normal training schedule
Learners practice with increasing levels of difficulty
Simulation training is adapted to multiple learning
strategies
A wide variety of clinical conditions are provided
Learning on the simulator occurs in a controlled
environment
Individualized learning with reproducible, standardized
educational experiences is provided
Learning outcomes are clearly defined
Ensuring the simulator is a valid learning tool
1 2 3 4
Individualized learning with reproducible, standardized educa-
tional experiences is provided
Learning outcomes are clearly defined
A wide variety of clinical conditions are provided
Learning on the simulator occurs in a controlled environment
Learners practice with increasing levels of difficulty
Simulation is integrated into the normal training schedule
Learners engage in repetitive practice
Simulation training is adapted to multiple learning strategies
Ensures the simulator is a valid learning tool
Feedback is provided during the learning experience
Figure 2. The bars indicate to which degree St Marys Hospital delivers on
each of the right conditions as assessed by the hospital on a 4 - point
Likert scale.
Colleagues at St Marys Hospital find that what matters in
simulation based training is more about the combination of
the above factors than it is about one feature being more
important than the others.Repetitive practice is emphasized
all the same, provided all the other factors are present.
FIVEYEARS FROM NOW
The funding is in place
Simulations are performed across multiple disciplines
More scenarios focus on training communication skills
Training for the unexpected has been added to the
curriculum
Part task training is available also for technical staff
Actors/standardized patients are employed in the
simulations
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Efficiency of in situ multi-disciplinary simulation-based crisis
training in Pediatrics is an ongoing study looking into:
The efficiency of simulation as a training tool for junior
pediatricians in training
How simulation training impacts nurses confidence level
REFERENCES
1. St Marys Hospital: http://www.imperial.nhs.uk/stmarys
2. London Deanery: http://www.londondeanery.ac.uk/
3. Barry Issenberg et al. (2005) Features and uses of high fidelity medical
simulations that lead to effective learning: a BEME systematic review,
MedicalTeacher,Vol. 27, NO.1, pp. 10-28.
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