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Accident and emergency training perspectives in Scotland.
L A McGugan1, N J Maran, R Glavin
1Scottish Clinical Simulation Centre, Stirling Royal Infirmary, Stirling, UK. l.mcgugan@nhs.net
Emergency Medicine Journal : EMJ
|June 24, 2006
Summary
Scottish accident and emergency (A&E) trainees report high confidence and knowledge but low training scores. Both trainees and trainers agree on clinical exposure levels but differ on training effectiveness, highlighting a need for improved A&E training programs.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Emergency Medicine Training
Background:
- Current training in Scottish accident and emergency (A&E) medicine requires evaluation.
- A simulator-based training program is proposed to supplement existing A&E training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess A&E trainees' and trainers' perspectives on current A&E training in Scotland.
- To inform the development of a complementary simulator-based training program.
Main Methods:
- Surveys distributed to all Scottish A&E trainees and consultant trainers.
- Participants rated confidence, experience, knowledge, and training using a 5-point Likert scale.
- Trainers identified performance gaps and attributed them to training or exposure deficits.
Main Results:
- Trainee response rate was 75%, consultant response rate was 59.4%.
- Trainees reported high confidence (4/5) and knowledge (4/5), moderate experience (3/5), and low training (2/5) scores.
- Consultants more frequently cited lack of exposure, rather than lack of training, as the cause of underperformance.
Conclusions:
- Discrepancies exist between trainee and trainer perceptions of A&E training effectiveness.
- Trainees' high confidence and knowledge scores, despite lower training scores, suggest an association between perceived knowledge and clinical competence.
- Findings support the need for enhanced A&E training strategies, potentially incorporating simulation.