Improving Students' Knowledge and Skills Through a Tele-ICU Clinical Rotation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Respiratory Therapy
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Clinical rotations are vital for respiratory therapy students.
• Limited clinical sites and COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges for student training.
• Tele-ICU emerged as a solution for remote patient assessment and monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a tele-ICU clinical rotation on respiratory therapy students' knowledge and confidence.
• To assess improvements in understanding mechanical ventilation, telemedicine, and COVID-19 management.
• To explore the effectiveness of remote clinical training in respiratory therapy.

Main Methods:

• Students completed two 4-hour clinical rotations in a tele-ICU setting.
• Performed remote patient-ventilator assessments under supervision.
• Completed pre- and post-rotation surveys on confidence and knowledge.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in self-confidence in mechanical ventilation and waveform assessment.
• Enhanced knowledge of ARDS, spontaneous breathing trials, and lung-protective ventilation.
• Marked improvement in assessing COVID-19 patients and interprofessional communication.

Conclusions:

• Tele-ICU clinical rotations effectively increase students' confidence in remote patient assessment.
• This rotation significantly boosts knowledge related to mechanical ventilation and COVID-19 care.
• Tele-ICU offers a valuable alternative for respiratory therapy clinical education.