Using Simulations to Train Medical Students for Unanticipated Technology Failures in Telemedicine

Simulations offer a safe environment for health professional training and the opportunity to predictably and consistently introduce events or variables that may be rare or dangerous in a live setting. Exposing trainees to unanticipated events during simulations can improve their ability to adapt and improvise. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth worldwide and highlighted the need for better training in health professional schools. In the United States, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published new telehealth competency standards in 2021. The AAMC stated that health care providers should be aware of the risks of technology failures, capable of troubleshooting them, and lead systems interventions to improve safety. However, the AAMC does not provide guidance on the specific failures or solutions. In this study, we developed a set of technology failures that can be simulated in a telehealth curriculum. We incorporated one technology failure into a simulated telehealth encounter and gathered students' (N = 53) feedback on the exercise. Students' feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They agreed that integrating technology failures into telehealth simulations provides important practice managing these events during clinical encounters. While telehealth is an important healthcare delivery modality that can improve access-to-care, it is imperative to train medical students to navigate technology failures so that can adeptly manage these issues in clinical practice.