High Fidelity Patient Simulations (HFPS) in Medical Physiology Improve Non‐Cognitive Skills in First Year Medical Students

Abstract

Non‐cognitive skills (NCS) play a vital role in academic performance, yet they are often undervalued due to large content loads in medical education. Targeting time in a curriculum for students to learn NCS is crucial. Our hypothesis was that HFPS could be used to learn physiology and improve NCS.METHODS120 1st yr med students participated in 3 HFPS. Students were rated by two faculty (1 live, 1 video) using a validated Likert like eval tool (1‐9 from unsatisfactory to outstanding)with 8 categories focusing on TeamSTEPPS principles about patient safety. After each HFPS, all students received a 10 min faculty debrief on physio content. Then 1/2 of the students had student led (SL) debriefs and 1/2 had faculty led (FL) debriefs about NCS. Feedback regarding simulation was also obtained following the module.RESULTSThere was a significant increase in rating scores on 6 of 7 categories on the eval tool, with 1 category eliminated due to missing scores. There was no significant difference between SL and FL debriefs in 6 of 7 categories. TeamSTEPPS principle Student Led Debrief Sim 1 Student Led Debrief Sim 3 Faculty Led Debrief Sim 1 Faculty Led Debrief Sim 3 Team is assembled and established 4.0±0.6 5.3±0.3* 4.5±0.8 6.2±0.5* Delegation of Roles and Responsibilities 3.7±0.5 5.5±0.3* 4.0±0.8 6.3±0.3* Aware of Environment 4.2±0.4 5.5±0.3* 4.8±0.6 6.3±0.3* Re‐evaluation and Summarizing 4.5±0.4 5.4±0.3 5.4±0.3 6.6±0.1* & Shared Mental Model of Patient 4.4±0.4 5.9±0.3* 5.3±0.2 6.4±0.3* Clear Messages were Provided by Leader 4.0±0.4 5.4±0.2* 5.1±0.6 5.5±0.3 Teams used Closed Loop Communication 3.4±0.5 5.6±0.3* 3.4±0.4 5.3±0.4* * =P <.05 Sim1 vs Sim 3 & = P<.05 student led vs faculty led Anonymous student feedback and qualitative interviews indicated that students perceived improved team skills and better integration of physio.ConclusionsThese data suggest that HFPS can facilitate NCS development in med students in the context of learning physio. Additionally, these data suggest that SL and FL debriefs are equally effective at promoting NCS development which may allow limited faculty resources to be utilized more efficiently. Overall, these data suggest that HFPS may be an alternative for NCS development similar to PBL and TBL curricula. Ultimately, improved NCS could help students learn better and increase patient safety.