Use of high fidelity human patient simulation (HPS) in second year medical pharmacology instruction

Abstract

This study examined the use of HPS (Laerdal SimMan 3G) in a pharmacology general principles course and its impact on student learning, critical thinking and problem‐solving. Eight simulation cases were developed: six involving the autonomic nervous system and two with pain management. Students were assigned to one of 36 teams consisting of 5–6 members. Each team encountered only one case scenario. Teams were required to take a patient history, perform a physical exam, request laboratory tests, make a diagnosis, administer appropriate pharmacotherapy and monitor treatment outcome. Two different scenarios were performed concurrently and the two teams were then combined for a student led debriefing session that was faculty facilitated. Student survey comments were extremely positive. Results from 195 students included HPS complemented the course objectives (5.0 out of 5.0), promoted higher level, critical thinking (4.9/5.0), was a more effective learning experience than lectures alone (4.9/5.0) and improved student ability to function as a health professional team (4.7/5.0). We conclude that HPS provides an effective learning experience that encourages active learning and problem‐solving skills as a member of a health professional team.