Outreach simulation for system improvement: a novel advocacy and reporting process.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Systems Improvement
• Quality Management

Background:

• Measuring the direct patient outcomes of healthcare simulation programs is often infeasible and resource-intensive.
• Existing accountability measures may not align with the practicalities of simulation services.
• A shift towards measuring system-level impact is proposed for robust and achievable evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a simulation program on healthcare systems rather than individual patient outcomes.
• To implement and assess a novel measurement process for simulation-driven quality improvement.
• To identify actionable solutions for system-level problems identified through simulation.

Main Methods:

• Integrated translational simulation and quality improvement methodologies into an educational course.
• Used simulation to diagnose workplace environmental and system-level issues across Queensland facilities.
• Employed a novel electronic reporting system (Optimus PRIME Course Summary) and follow-up audits to track issue resolution and resource implementation.

Main Results:

• Identified 242 issues across 37 facilities, predominantly in drug safety and equipment management.
• Achieved a 45.5% resolution rate for identified issues, with 44.6% still in progress.
• Successfully implemented recommended resources in 64% of healthcare sites.

Conclusions:

• Focusing on system-level improvements through simulation offers a significant pathway to enhance healthcare systems.
• The developed reporting framework provides a robust, feasible, and synergistic method for evaluating simulation impact.
• Lessons learned can guide other simulation services in refining their measurement strategies for greater effectiveness.