P80 Simulated training & human factors in respiratory on-calls for newly qualified physiotherapists

Abstract

Background For junior physiotherapists, starting respiratory on-call duties is a daunting prospect. At Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) we have a robust in-service training programme teaching practical skills required to commence on-call duties. Currently there is nothing to address the human factors. Human factors relates to understanding interactions between humans and other elements of a system, such as teamwork, equipment or culture and how this effects human behaviour (Clinical Human Factors Group, 2016). There is a growing body of evidence surrounding human factors and patient safety. At NUH it has been identified that communication is one of the top five areas of patient safety incidents. Developing the understanding of an individual about what affects their performance in on-call situations may enhance quality of patient care through better communication and decision making. Gordon and Buckley (2009) demonstrated the use of high fidelity simulation training (in conjunction with traditional teaching) to enhance non-technical skills of graduate nurses in patient clinical emergencies, suggesting this may facilitate learning. A team of physiotherapists from NUH, in conjunction with faculty staff from the Trent Simulation and Skills Centre have designed simulated training (sim) sessions for junior physiotherapists, focusing on the human factors aspect of on-call working. These will be piloted in June 2017. Methods The session aims are i) to assess acceptability ii) to assess utility in enhancing self-reported confidence and perceived competence of junior physiotherapists in respiratory on-call situations iii) to consider cost and service benefits in terms of rostering junior staff sooner, thus reducing reliance on senior staff to cover rotas, increasing their availability to deliver patient care during normal working hours. There will be three sessions with 4 participants in each; participants will be a convenience sample of 12 junior physiotherapists at NUH. Sim sessions last 3 hours, including a debrief at the end, and consist of 4 on-call scenarios. Each participant undertakes one scenario, while others view from an adjacent room. Scenarios last 15 min, with a 30 min debrief straight after. Debriefs will be used to facilitate learning through discussion and reflection. Data Prior to undertaking a sim session, participants complete a self-rating questionnaire based on the perceived self-efficacy scale. This will be repeated immediately after the session (with a session evaluation) and 6 weeks later. Using SPSS, questionnaire data will be analysed for with-in group differences, using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results, discussion and recommendations will be completed following data analysis. References . Clinical Human Factors Group. What is clinical human factors [online] 2016. http://chfg.org/about-us/what-is-human-factors/ [accessed 27.5.17] . Gordon C, Buckley, T. The effect of high-fidelity simulation training on medical-surgical graduate nurses’ perceived ability to respond to patient clinical emergencies. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing 2009;40(11):491–498.