Abstract
BackgroundSimulation-based-training (SBT) in the education of health professionals is discussed as an effective alternative for knowledge and skills enhancement as well as for the establishment of a secure learning environment, for learners and patients. In the Anglo-American region, SBT and simulation and training centers (STC) are numbered as standard for medical training. In German-speaking Central Europe, priority is still given to the establishment of SBT and STC. The purpose of this study was (i) to survey the status quo relating to the existence and facilities of simulation and training centers at medical universities in German-speaking Central Europe and (ii) the evaluation of training methods, especially in the area of emergency medicine skills.MethodsAll public and private medical universities or medical faculties in Germany (36), Austria (4) and German-speaking Switzerland (3) were interviewed. In the survey, information regarding the existence and facilities of STCs and information with regards to the use of SBT in the area of emergency medicine was requested. The questions were partly posed in a closed-ended-, in an open-ended- and in a multiple choice format (with the possibility of selecting more than one answer).ResultsOf a total of 43 contacted medical universities/medical faculties, 40 ultimately participated in the survey. As decisive for the establishment of a STC the potential to improve the clinical-practical training and the demand by students were listed. Obligatory training in a STC during the first and sixth academic year was confirmed only by 12 institutions, before the first invasive procedure on patients by 17 institutions. 13 institutions confirmed the use of the STC for the further training of physicians and care-staff. Training for the acute care and emergency medicine skills in the field of pediatrics, for the most part, occurs decentralized.ConclusionsNew methods in medical training have reached German-speaking Central Europe, but the simulation and training centers vary in size, equipment or regarding their integration into the obligatory curriculum as much as the number and variety of the offering to be trained voluntarily or on an obligatory basis.
Highlights
Simulation-based-training (SBT) in the education of health professionals is discussed as an effective alternative for knowledge and skills enhancement as well as for the establishment of a secure learning environment, for learners and patients
The objective of this study was a) to survey the status quo relating to the existence and facilities of simulation and training centers (STC) at medical universities/faculties in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; and, presupposed the existence of a STC was affirmed, b) the evaluation of training methods, especially in the area of emergency medicine skills
General data Establishment of STCs/year 36 institutions indicated they had a simulation and training center at their disposal
Summary
Simulation-based-training (SBT) in the education of health professionals is discussed as an effective alternative for knowledge and skills enhancement as well as for the establishment of a secure learning environment, for learners and patients. Different assessment instruments ensue for different teaching and learning contents (e.g., performance-based clinical skills, critical thinking/problem-solving skills and/or abilities, behaviorand team interaction). Despite these requirements and challenges, especially in the Anglo-American region, SBT and STCs are numbered as standard for medical training and the optimization of framework requirements, new methodologies and competencies to be taught are demanded. In German-speaking Central Europe, as shown in the study by Segarra et al (2008), priority is still given to the establishment of SBT and STCs [16]
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