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Simulation-based medical education in Canadian anesthesiology academic institutions: a national survey

La formation médicale par simulation dans les établissements canadiens d’enseignement en anesthésiologie : une enquête nationale

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Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Simulation-based medical education (SBME) is provided by all anesthesiology residency programs in Canada. The purpose of this study was to characterize SBME in Canadian anesthesiology residency training programs.

Methods

We administered a 21-question survey to the simulation director/coordinator for all 17 Canadian academic departments of anesthesiology from October 2019 to January 2020. The survey consisted of questions pertaining to the characteristics of the simulation centres, their faculty, learners, curriculum, and assessment processes.

Results

All 17 residency training programs participated in the survey and reported large variability in the number and formal training of simulation faculty and in content delivery. Five programs (29%) did not provide faculty recognition for curriculum design and running simulation sessions. Most programs offered one to four simulation sessions per academic year for each year of residency. All programs offered mannequin-based and part-task trainers for teaching technical and nontechnical skills. Fourteen programs (82%) offered interprofessional and interdisciplinary simulation sessions, and ten programs (59%) did not include in situ simulation training. Commonly reported barriers to faculty involvement were lack of protected time (12 programs, 71%), lack of financial compensation (ten programs, 59%), and lack of appreciation for SBME (seven programs, 41%).

Conclusion

Large variability exists in the delivery of SBME in Canadian anesthesiology residency simulation programs, in part because of differences in financial/human resources and educational content. Future studies should explore whether training and patient outcomes differ between SBME programs and, if so, whether additional standardization is warranted.

Résumé

Objectif

La formation médicale par simulation est offerte par tous les programmes de résidence en anesthésiologie au Canada. L’objectif de cette étude était de déterminer l’état actuel de la formation médicale par simulation dans les programmes canadiens de résidence en anesthésiologie.

Méthode

D’octobre 2019 à janvier 2020, nous avons administré un sondage comportant 21 questions aux directions et équipes de coordination de la simulation des 17 départements universitaires d’anesthésiologie canadiens. L’enquête comportait des questions portant sur les caractéristiques des centres de simulation, le corps professoral, les apprenants et apprenantes, le programme d’études et les processus d’évaluation.

Résultats

Les 17 programmes de résidence ont tous participé à l’enquête et ont fait état d’une grande variabilité dans le nombre et la formation officielle du corps professoral en simulation ainsi que dans la prestation de contenu. Cinq programmes (29 %) n’ont pas reconnu le corps professoral en charge de la conception des programmes d’études et de l’organisation des séances de simulation. La plupart des programmes offraient une à quatre séances de simulation par année universitaire à chaque année de résidence. Tous les programmes disposaient de simulateurs d’entraînement pour tâches partielles et de mannequins pour enseigner des compétences techniques et non techniques. Quatorze programmes (82 %) offraient des séances de simulation interprofessionnelles et interdisciplinaires, et dix programmes (59 %) ne comportaient pas de formation par simulation in situ. Les obstacles les plus fréquemment signalés à la participation du corps professoral étaient le manque de temps protégé (12 programmes, 71 %), le manque de compensation financière (dix programmes, 59 %) et le manque d’appréciation de la formation médicale par simulation (sept programmes, 41 %).

Conclusion

Il existe une grande variabilité dans la prestation de formation médicale par simulation dans les programmes de simulation pendant la résidence en anesthésiologie au Canada, causée en partie par des différences dans les ressources financières et humaines et par le contenu de la formation. Des études futures devraient déterminer si la formation et les issues pour les patient·es diffèrent d’un programme de formation médicale par simulation à l’autre et, dans l’affirmative, si une normalisation supplémentaire est justifiée.

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Author contributions

Yuqi Gu, Marshall Tenenbein, Linda Korz, Jason Busse, and Michelle Chiu contributed substantially to all aspects of this manuscript, including study conception and design; acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data; and drafting of the manuscript.

Acknowledgement

We sincerely thank all the simulation faculty who gave their time to complete our survey.

Disclosures

None declared.

Funding statement

This was an unfunded study. Jason Busse is funded, in part, by a CIHR Canada Research Chair in Prevention & Management of Chronic Pain. Drs Chiu and Gu were supported by The Ottawa Hospital Anesthesia Alternate Funds Association.

Editorial responsibility

This submission was handled by Dr. Stephan K. W. Schwarz, Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d’anesthésie.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Michelle Chiu MD, FRCPC

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Marshall Tenenbein MD, FRCPC

  3. Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Linda Korz MD, FRCPC & Jason W. Busse DC, PhD

  4. Department of Innovation in Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Michelle Chiu MD, FRCPC

  5. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Rd, Critical Care Wing 1401, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada

    Yuqi Gu MD, FRCPC

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  1. Yuqi Gu MD, FRCPC
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  3. Linda Korz MD, FRCPC
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Correspondence to Yuqi Gu MD, FRCPC.

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Gu, Y., Tenenbein, M., Korz, L. et al. Simulation-based medical education in Canadian anesthesiology academic institutions: a national survey. Can J Anesth/J Can Anesth (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-024-02720-6

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