Primary Measles Encephalitis.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Infectious Disease
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Measles is a highly infectious RNA virus with increasing prevalence in the US, despite elimination status.
• Measles can lead to severe complications, including primary measles encephalitis, affecting 1 in 1000 cases.
• Primary measles encephalitis has a 10-15% mortality rate and significant neurodevelopmental sequelae.

Purpose of the Study:

• To educate emergency medicine residents on the diagnosis and management of primary measles encephalitis.
• To improve learners' ability to obtain focused histories, develop differential diagnoses, and manage pediatric patients with measles encephalitis.
• To enhance understanding of appropriate patient disposition and isolation protocols.

Main Methods:

• High-fidelity medical simulation followed by debriefing and lecture.
• Utilized advocacy-inquiry techniques during debriefing sessions.
• Residents provided feedback via surveys on simulation effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Simulation feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with high effectiveness ratings.
• Debriefings facilitated discussion on differential diagnoses, clinical presentation, empiric treatment, and isolation.
• Residents improved understanding of transfer criteria and patient stability.

Conclusions:

• Medical simulation is a cost-effective method for reviewing primary measles encephalitis.
• Simulation effectively enhances resident education on rare, critical pediatric conditions.
• Incorporating clinical photos of measles rashes can improve simulation realism.