Spacelabs Innovative Project Award winner--2008. Megacode simulation workshop and education video--a megatonne of...

Skill acquisition and knowledge translation of best practices can be successfully facilitated using simulation methods. The 2008 Spacelabs Innovative Project Award was awarded for a unique training workshop that used simulation in the area of cardiac life support and resuscitation to train multiple health care personnel in basic and advanced skills. The megacode simulation workshop and education video was an educational event held in 2007 in Winnipeg, MB, for close to 60 participants and trainers from multiple disciplines across the provinces of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. The event included lectures, live simulation of a megacode, and hands-on training in the latest techniques in resuscitation. The goals of this project were to promote efficiency and better outcomes related to resuscitation measures, to foster teamwork, to emphasize the importance of each team member's role, and to improve knowledge and skills in resuscitation. The workshop was filmed to produce a training DVD that could be used for future knowledge enhancement and introductory training of health care personnel. Substantial positive feedback was received and evaluations indicated that participants reported improvement and expansion of their knowledge of advanced cardiac life support. Given their regular participation in cardiac arrest codes and the importance of staying up-to-date on best practice, the workshop was particularly useful to health care staff and nurses working in critical care areas. In addition, those who participate less frequently in cardiac resuscitation will benefit from the educational video for ongoing competency. Through accelerating knowledge translation from the literature to the bedside, it is hoped that this event contributed to improved patient care and outcomes with respect to advanced cardiac life support.