Improved procedural performance following a simulation training session may not be transferable to the clinical...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pediatrics
• Simulation Training

Background:

• Neonatal intubation is a critical skill for pediatricians.
• Trainees often lack sufficient clinical exposure for competency.
• Simulation is increasingly used for procedural skills training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a neonatal intubation simulation session.
• To compare pre- and post-intervention performance.
• To evaluate the transferability of skills to the clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• First-year pediatric residents underwent a 2-hour simulation session with a high-fidelity infant mannequin.
• Skills were assessed using a checklist (CL) and global rating scale (GRS) pre- and post-intervention.
• Clinical performance was tracked during a subsequent Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) rotation and compared to a historical cohort.

Main Results:

• Post-intervention CL and GRS scores significantly improved (P<0.0001 and P=0.0003, respectively).
• Clinical success rates were similar between the intervention group (67.5%) and the historical cohort (63.15%).
• Clinical CL scores for the intervention group were significantly lower than post-training scores and the historical cohort (P=0.001).

Conclusions:

• Simulation training led to immediate skill improvement but did not enhance clinical performance.
• Skills did not transfer to the clinical setting, with performance returning to baseline.
• Concurrent feedback in simulation may not guarantee long-term skill retention in clinical practice.