Delivery of a Primary Care In-Situ Simulation Workshop
THE PROBLEM:
Education using in-situ simulation is well established in Emergency Medicine (EM) and focusses on the management of emergency presentations in secondary care. Many GP trainees hold posts in EM and may struggle to grasp the relevance of such simulation programmes to their future career.
This project aims to deliver bespoke teaching that bridges the gap between EM topics and the learning needs of GP trainees, by developing an in-situ simulation workshop orientated towards emergency presentations in primary care. It aims to demonstrate the relevance of the skills that trainees develop during a rotation in EM and expand on these in a primary care context.
YOUR APPROACH:
A pilot workshop was run at a local practice. Trainees participated in ‘anaphylaxis’ and ‘cardiac arrest’ simulations, followed by a debrief reflecting on their reactions and understanding in order to meet intended learning outcomes. Pre- and post-workshop questionnaires were completed.
THE LEARNING:
Participants enjoyed the workshop, felt it was applicable to their work environment and improved their confidence in dealing with emergency presentations in a primary care context. The debrief provoked in depth discussion, helping them to reflect on how to improve their performance in future.
As the pilot workshop was received so favourably, we aimed to repeat the workshop and undertake subsequent evaluation using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. However, Covid-19 has introduced challenges relating to the delivery of face to face education. Plans are underway to adapt the project to comply with current guidelines.
WHY IT MATTERS:
Based on the pilot workshop, we predict that this project will improve patient care by refreshing essential knowledge and highlighting vital latent safety errors. In the future, we aim to deliver these workshops to other primary care based staff, providing an opportunity to re-visit basic life support skills in a familiar environment using their own equipment.
Presenting author: Emma Clare Kilgour, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, emma.clare.hughes@gmail.com
Co-authors: Philippa Horner, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, philippahorner@nhs.net