Teaching Antimicrobial Stewardship to Infectious Disease Fellows Through Simulated Interdisciplinary Scenarios

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Infectious Diseases
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Limited training exists for infectious disease physicians in antimicrobial stewardship (AS).
• Developing effective AS interventions requires synthesizing complex information.
• Simulated learning environments offer a novel approach to medical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a simulation-based training program for infectious disease fellows.
• To enhance fellows' ability to synthesize and implement AS interventions.
• To assess the impact of simulation training on fellows' and faculty's perceptions of AS.

Main Methods:

• Three simulated AS committee scenarios were created with assigned multidisciplinary roles.
• Fellows engaged in pre-simulation literature review and 1.5-hour simulation sessions.
• Pre- and post-simulation surveys evaluated fellow and faculty perceptions and performance.

Main Results:

• Six fellows showed improved information synthesis, individual, and team performance in AS.
• Post-simulation, 100% of fellows reported educating others on AS, up from 83%.
• Faculty reported increased perception of fellows valuing antimicrobial preauthorization (63% vs. 38%).

Conclusions:

• Simulation is an effective and engaging method for training infectious disease fellows in AS.
• The program improved fellows' AS knowledge, skills, attitudes, and interdisciplinary planning.
• Faculty found the simulation format effective for learner evaluation and perceived significant fellow benefit.