Preparing House Officers for Emergencies in a Psychiatric Setting with Simulation-Based Learning

Simulation-based learning replicates real clinical events to provide an interactive learning experience. This allows training doctors to develop skills to manage complex scenarios or emergencies in a safe and containing environment. Many house officers report a lack of confidence in managing emergencies on a psychiatric ward. This study evaluates whether simulation-based learning provided at the start of the psychiatric placement increases the confidence of house officers managing emergencies in a psychiatric setting.

Simulation-based learning was developed and implemented for house officers beginning their psychiatric rotation. Three scenarios were developed with psychiatric trainees. These were managing a non-fatal hanging, non-suicidal self-injury, and olanzapine pamoate post-injection syndrome. Training was evaluated with a mixed methods approach.

Twenty-three house officers participated in simulation-based learning. After completing the training, participants were significantly more confident managing olanzapine pamoate post-injection syndrome (p < 0.001), non-suicidal self-injury (p < 0.001), and a non-fatal hanging (p < 0.001). Participants reported that simulations were effective because the scenarios were realistic, and the simulation was an immersive experience. They valued the opportunity to practice with the equipment and the focus on both physical and psychological components in the scenarios. The experience was more impactful because simulations were done alongside peers in a safe and contained training environment.

Simulation-based learning was acceptable and increased the confidence of house officers managing emergencies in a psychiatric setting. Simulation-based learning can potentially improve the quality of care provided in psychiatric hospitals and the preparedness of new doctors entering these work environments.