[Simulation curricular content in postgraduate emergency medicine: A multicentre Delphi study]

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Simulation-Based Training
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Growing evidence supports simulation in medical training.
• No standardized national emergency medicine (EM) simulation curriculum currently exists.
• This study addresses the need for a structured curriculum to guide postgraduate EM training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and validate essential curricular content for adult EM simulation-based training.
• To inform the development of a national EM simulation curriculum.
• To establish content validity using expert consensus.

Main Methods:

• Delphi methodology was employed with a national panel of 45 EM simulation experts.
• Experts iteratively rated 280 potential curricular topics over three survey rounds.
• Consensus was defined by Cronbach's α ≥ 0.95, with topics rated ≥ 3.5/4 classified as 'core' and 3.0-3.5 as 'extended'.

Main Results:

• Twenty-eight 'core' curricular topics across eight domains reached consensus.
• Thirty-five 'extended' curricular topics in 14 domains were also identified.
• High response rates (93-100%) were maintained throughout the three survey rounds.

Conclusions:

• Delphi methodology successfully achieved expert consensus and content validation for EM simulation curriculum.
• The identified topics provide a robust foundation for integrating simulation into postgraduate EM training.
• These findings can guide the creation of a national simulation curriculum to supplement clinical education and optimize learning outcomes.