National implementation of in situ simulation training in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services: A multicenter study
Abstract IntroductionMedical simulation is used in helicopter emergency services as a tool for training the crew. Using in situ simulation we aimed to evaluate the degree of implementation, factors for successful simulation and the crew’s attitude towards this form for training.MethodsA one year prospective study on simulation at all Norwegian helicopter emergency services bases and one search and rescue base. Local facilitators were educated and conducted simulations at their own discretion.ResultsAll bases participated, but the number of simulations attempted at each base varied from 1 to 46. Busier bases had a significantly higher number of aborted simulations. Regardless of base and number of attempted simulations, participating crews scored self-evaluated satisfaction with this form of training highly. The number of local facilitators and their travel distance to work seemed to make no difference to the number of attempted simulations.DiscussionOur study reveals large differences in the number of attempted simulations between bases. Our findings suggest that the local facilitator is a key factor for successful implementation of simulation based training in helicopter emergency services.