A comparison of screen-based simulation and conventional lectures for undergraduate teaching of crisis management

In our institution, we introduced a screen-based simulator to our undergraduate lectures on medical crisis management. We hypothesised that this novel use of the screen-based simulator would be as effective as our conventional lectures. To test this we randomly divided medical students into two groups. Students in Group A were taught medical crisis management (heart failure and anaphylaxis) using a screen-based simulation program projected onto a shared screen, with a facilitator guiding the students through the scenarios. Simultaneously, students in Group B were lectured the same content without the screen-based simulation. Both groups were allotted exactly one hour Several days later, students were tested on their management of anaphylaxis using the Human Patient Simulator. A blinded marker assessed them on diagnosis, resuscitation, specific treatment, call for help and for reassessment of the patient. Students also answered a questionnaire on their experience. Sixty-four students participated in the study. Both groups had similar overall scores. However students in Group A scored better in the specific treatment category by a factor of 1.7. Students in both groups rated their learning experiences highly. This study showed that screen-based simulation was as effective as conventional lectures and might be even more effective in some areas.