Implementing a Three-Dimensional-Printed Simulation Program to Improve Emergency Nurse Competence in Intraosseous...

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Medical Simulation
• Surgical Training

Background:

• Intraosseous (IO) access is vital in emergencies but underutilized due to limited training.
• Clinician confidence and procedural skills for IO access often require enhancement.
• Quality improvement initiatives are needed to address gaps in emergency care procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a 3D-printed simulation training's effectiveness on emergency clinicians' IO knowledge and skills.
• To assess the impact of simulation training on clinician confidence and IO utilization.
• To determine the sustainability of 3D-printed simulation for high-acuity, low-occurrence procedures.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, single-group pretest-posttest design was used.
• 22 emergency clinicians underwent a 3-phase "Crawl-Walk-Run" training using 3D-printed IO trainers.
• Outcomes measured via validated assessment tools and electronic medical record audits.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in IO knowledge (P < .001) and technical skills (P < .001) were observed.
• Skills and knowledge showed sustained improvement at 3-month follow-up.
• Nurse-initiated IO insertions increased from 0 to 5 successful first-pass attempts post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• 3D-printed simulation effectively enhances emergency clinicians' IO knowledge, skills, and confidence.
• The training intervention led to improved clinical utilization of IO access.
• 3D-printed simulation is a viable, sustainable educational strategy for emergency nursing practice.