Designing a synthetic simulator to teach open surgical skills for limb exploration in trauma: a qualitative study exploring the experiences and perspectives of educators and surgical trainees

Background Simulation is an important adjunct to aid in the acquisition of surgical skills of surgical trainees. The simulators used to adequately enable trainees to learn, practice and be assessed in surgical skills need to be of the highest standards. This study investigates the perceived requirements of simulation and simulators used to acquire skills in limb exploratory procedures in trauma. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an international group of 11 surgical educators and 11 surgical trainees who had experience with surgical simulation. The interviews focused on the perceptions of simulation, the integration of simulators within a curriculum and the features of a simulator itself. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and underwent thematic analysis. Results Analysis of the perspectives of surgical educators and surgical trainees on simulated training in limb trauma surgery yielded three main themes: (1) Attitudes to simulation. (2) Implementing simulation. (3) Features of an open skills simulator. The majority felt simulation was relevant, intuitive and a good way for procedure warmup and the supplementation of surgical logbooks. They felt simulation could be improved with increased accessibility and variety of simulator options tailored to the learner. Suggested simulator features included greater fidelity, haptic feedback and more complex inbuilt scenarios. On a practical level, there was a desire for cost effectiveness, easy set up and storage. The responses of the educators and the trainees were similar and reflected similar concerns and suggestions for improvement. Conclusion There is a clear positive appetite for the incorporation of simulation into limb trauma training. The findings of this will inform the optimal requirements for high quality implementation of simulation into a surgical trauma curriculum and a reference to optimal features desired in simulator or task trainer design.

Pediatric Trauma Boot Camp: A Simulation Curriculum and Pilot Study

Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and children worldwide. Trauma education is one of the most commonly reported deficiencies in pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) training. In this study, we describe the creation of a pediatric trauma boot camp in which trainees’ basic knowledge, level of confidence, teamwork, and communication skills are assessed. The primary goal of this pilot study was to create a simulation-based pediatric trauma curriculum for PEM fellows and emergency medicine residents utilizing Kern’s curricular conceptual framework. This was a pilot, prospective, single cohort, exploratory, observational study utilizing survey methodology and a convenience sample. The curriculum consisted of a two-day experience that included confidence surveys, a cognitive multiple-choice questionnaire, and formative and summative simulation scenarios. At the conclusion of this intensive simulation-based trauma boot camp participants reported increased confidence and demonstrated significant improvement in the basic knowledge and performance of the management of pediatric trauma cases in a simulated environment.