Dear Sir
An online search of the term ‘medical simulator’ reveals over 100,000 articles and patents. However, delving deeper into the actual use of these new technology(s) within medical education programs, there are common issues such as the lack of expertise, motivation and confidence for set-up and utilisation of innovations among clinicians (Edmondson et al. Citation2001), which could lead to failure to deliver an effective education programme. At Imperial College London, an interdisciplinary team tried to address this issue by developing, implementing and evaluating an intervention programme in supporting newcomers to innovations in medical training.
The aims of the programme were to support participating institutions in learning to implement the new technology and simulation concept with the example of Distributed Simulation (DS) (Kneebone et al. Citation2010). In 2011, eleven stakeholders from four major hospital trusts in London participated in the workshop. It started with a short presentation on the objectives of the workshop with the underpinning theories and concepts of full team immersive simulation and DS. This was followed by a practical session on the equipment set up. The workshop ended with discussions on the use of DS in simulation-based training, assessment and research. Follow-up consultations were available for the participated institutes.
After the workshop, the participants were asked to fill in a short questionnaire for feedback. All participants strongly agreed/agreed that the content of the workshop was adequate and they understood the DS concept better after the workshop. 90% of the participants strongly agreed/agreed the workshop was very useful for people who are interested in DS. 80% of them agreed that the workshop met their expectations and educational goals. In follow-up interviews, participants also revealed the significance of follow-up consultations that help the stakeholders and local technicians to realise their plans in running simulations with the technologies.
In conclusion, by using the example of DS, the current interventional programme was feasible and beneficial to the participants. It further reinforces the significance of strategic planning in adopting new technologies and concepts in everyday medical education.
References
- Edmondson A, Bohmer RM, Pisano GP. Disrupted routines: Team learning and new technology implementation in hospitals. Admin Sci Quart 2001; 46: 685–716
- Kneebone R, Arora S, King D, Bello F, Sevdalis N, Kassab E, Aggarwal R, Darzi A, Nestel D. Distributed simulation – Accessible immersive training. Med Teach 2010; 32: 65–70