A skills acquisition study on ECMOjo: a screen-based simulator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Simulation Technology
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Traditional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) training prioritizes cognitive skills over crucial behavioral competencies like leadership and communication.
• Simulation-based training enhances clinical knowledge through immersive experiences but faces limitations due to high costs.
• Screen-based simulators emerge as accessible and realistic alternatives to traditional training methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the educational effectiveness of ECMOjo, an open-source screen-based simulator for ECMO.
• To assess ECMOjo's potential as a cost-effective and interactive replacement for didactic ECMO instruction.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study involving 44 participants was conducted.
• Participants were divided into two groups: one receiving traditional didactic teaching and the other using the ECMOjo simulator.
• Skills acquisition was evaluated using a wet lab assessment and two validated questionnaires.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed between the didactic teaching group and the ECMOjo group in terms of knowledge acquisition and self-efficacy.
• The study indicates that ECMOjo is a viable alternative to didactic instruction based on learning outcomes.

Conclusions:

• ECMOjo demonstrates comparable educational efficacy to traditional didactic teaching for ECMO.
• Both ECMOjo and didactic methods show similar impacts on learner self-efficacy and can complement mannequin-based simulations.