Blurring the boundaries: scenario-based simulation in a clinical setting

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Training
• Simulation-based Learning

Background:

• Performing clinical procedures on conscious patients requires technical and communication skills.
• Quasi-clinical scenarios with simulated patients offer a safe learning environment for procedural training.
• Integrating training into real clinical settings can bridge the gap between skills labs and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feasibility of conducting scenario-based clinical procedure training in an authentic hospital setting.
• To evaluate the use of a portable digital recording device (Virtual Chaperone) for capturing training sessions.
• To assess the educational utility and participant perception of this integrated training approach.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving volunteer medical students in an accident unit.
• Two procedure scenarios (urinary catheter insertion, wound closure) were conducted and digitally recorded using the Virtual Chaperone.
• Data collection through real-time observation and participant interviews, analyzed using qualitative techniques.

Main Results:

• The study successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using a portable, self-contained training scenario within a real clinical environment.
• Seven training sessions were conducted with 22 undergraduate medical students over 9 months.
• Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, indicating perceived educational value.

Conclusions:

• Scenario-based training within authentic clinical environments is a viable and educationally beneficial method for teaching clinical procedures.
• This integrated approach effectively merges skills laboratory teaching with real-world clinical practice.
• The method holds significant potential for enhancing the training of healthcare professionals in clinical procedures.