Effects of clinical supervision on resident learning and patient care during simulated ICU scenarios

Adherence to hand hygiene in critical sectors: Can we go on like this?

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The rates of healthcare-associated infections are high around the world. Hand hygiene is considered the most effective measure to reduce the transmission of pathogens in the hospital environment. Our objective was to evaluate adherence to hand hygiene in critical units of a tertiary-level hospital in Central-West Brazil.

DESIGN

Observational study employing cross-sectional data. Reporting rigour was demonstrated using the STROBE checklist.

METHODS

Observation of hand hygiene practices of 129 professionals from the health team, including nursing staff, physicians and physical therapists. Data collection was carried out using the World Health Organization form.

RESULTS

A total of 3,025 hand hygiene opportunities were observed, and the overall rate of adherence was only 46.25%. There was a greater frequency of hand hygiene after risk of exposure to bodily fluids and after contact with patients, 60.80% and 53.45%, respectively. Nurses obtained a higher rate of adherence to hand hygiene (59.80%). The neonatal ICU had a higher rate of adherence to hand hygiene when compared to other sectors.

CONCLUSIONS

The physical structure for hand hygiene in the institution was poor, and no professionals reached the minimum time required for execution of hand hygiene techniques. There were low rates of adherence to hand hygiene by professionals at all five times and in all categories and sectors observed, which may have been influenced by poor infrastructure present in the institution.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This study is of great relevance to patient safety, given the rates of healthcare-associated infections worldwide, with emphasis on underdeveloped countries. It is hoped that the results of this research can guide organisations to validly and systematically evaluate adherence to hand hygiene and achieve higher rates of adherence to hand hygiene and consequently reduce the number of infections in health environments.

How Supervisor Experience Influences Trust, Supervision, and Trainee Learning: A Qualitative Study

PURPOSE

Appropriate trust and supervision facilitate trainees' growth toward unsupervised practice. The authors investigated how supervisor experience influences trust, supervision, and subsequently trainee learning.

METHOD

In a two-phase qualitative inductive content analysis, phase one entailed reviewing 44 internal medicine resident and attending supervisor interviews from two institutions (July 2013 to September 2014) for themes on how supervisor experience influences trust and supervision. Three supervisor exemplars (early, developing, experienced) were developed and shared in phase two focus groups at a single institution, wherein 23 trainees validated the exemplars and discussed how each impacted learning (November 2015).

RESULTS

Phase one: Four domains of trust and supervision varying with experience emerged: data, approach, perspective, clinical. Early supervisors were detail oriented and determined trust depending on task completion (data), were rule based (approach), drew on their experiences as trainees to guide supervision (perspective), and felt less confident clinically compared with more experienced supervisors (clinical). Experienced supervisors determined trust holistically (data), checked key aspects of patient care selectively and covertly (approach), reflected on individual experiences supervising (perspective), and felt comfortable managing clinical problems and gauging trainee abilities (clinical). Phase two: Trainees felt the exemplars reflected their experiences, described their preferences and learning needs shifting over time, and emphasized the importance of supervisor flexibility to match their learning needs.

CONCLUSIONS

With experience, supervisors differ in their approach to trust and supervision. Supervisors need to trust themselves before being able to trust others. Trainees perceive these differences and seek supervision approaches that align with their learning needs.

Usefulness of video-laryngoscopy with the Airway Scope for intubation performance and learning: an experimental manikin controlled study

Background

Different video-laryngoscopes (VDLs) for endotracheal intubation (ETI) have recently been developed. We compared the performance of the VDL Airway Scope (AWS) with the direct laryngoscopy by Macintosh (DLM) for ETI success, time and learning.

Methods

We performed an experimental manikin controlled study. Twenty experienced (experts) and 40 inexperienced operators (novices) for DLM-ETI were enrolled. None of them had experience with the use of AWS-VDL. Novices were assigned to start learning with DLM or AWS, and two sub-groups of 20 novices were formed. Experts group constituted the control group. Each participant performed 10 ETI attempts with each device on the same standard manikin. The primary endpoint was the ETI success probability. Secondary endpoints were ETI time, technical validity and qualitative evaluation for each technique. We also assessed the learning order and the successive attempts effects for these parameters.

Results

Overall, 1200 ETI attempts were performed. ETI success probability was higher with the AWS than with the DLM for all operators (98 vs. 81 %; p < 0.0001) and for experts compared to novices using devices in the same order (97 vs. 83 %; p = 0.0002). Overall ETI time was shorter with the AWS than with the DLM (13 vs. 20 s; p < 0.0001) and for experts compared to novices using devices in the same order (11 vs. 21 s; p < 0.0001). Among novices, those starting learning with AWS had higher ETI success probability (89 vs. 83 %; p = 0.03) and shorter ETI time (18 vs. 21 s; p = 0.02). Technical validity was found better with the AWS than DLM for all operators. Novices expressed global satisfaction and device preference for the AWS, whereas experts were indifferent.

Conclusions

AWS-VDL permits faster, easier and more reliable ETI compared to the DLM whatever the previous airway ETI experience and could be a useful device for DLM-ETI learning.

Model of interactive clinical supervision in acute care environments. Balancing patient care and teaching

RATIONALE

Progressive trainee autonomy is considered essential for clinical learning, but potentially harmful for patients. How clinical supervisors and medical trainees establish progressive levels of autonomy in acute care environments without compromising patient safety is largely unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To explore how bedside interactions among supervisors and trainees relate to trainee involvement in patient care and to clinical oversight.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative study based on constructivist grounded theory methodology. We used participant observation for our data collection. We observed the overt teaching interactions among trainees and staff physicians in the critical care units of two university-affiliated hospitals during 74 acute care episodes. Our analysis led to the elaboration of a theoretical model of clinical supervision.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

A model of interactive clinical supervision is proposed on the basis of three themes: engaging without enactment, sharing care with support, and caring independently with feedback. Each theme regroups different teaching interactions. Engaging in monologues and dialogues about patient care and facilitating hands-off care provision involved progressive levels of trainee involvement without risk for patients. Facilitating hands-on provision of care and providing support-in-action encouraged further trainee involvement with limited risks for patients. Providing feedback-on-action created additional learning opportunities based on trainee independent involvement in clinical activities.

CONCLUSIONS

Engaging in teaching interactions during acute care episodes allows trainees to exercise progressive autonomy and supervisors to provide adequate clinical oversight. Our model of interactive clinical supervision can inform faculty development initiatives. Learning outcomes resulting from different levels of trainee autonomy should be further explored.

The Barriers and Facilitators to Transfer of Ultrasound-Guided Central Venous Line Skills From Simulation to Practice: Exploring Perceptions of Learners and Supervisors

PHENOMENON: Ultrasound-guided central venous line insertion is currently the standard of care. Randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews show that simulation is superior to apprenticeship training. The purpose of this study is to explore, from the perspectives of participants in a simulation-training program, the factors that help or hinder the transfer of skills from simulation to practice.

APPROACH

Purposeful sampling was used to select and study the experience and perspective of novice fellows after they had completed simulation training and then performed ultrasound-guided central venous line in practice. Seven novice pediatric intensive care unit fellows and six supervising faculty in a university-affiliated academic center in a large urban city were recruited between September 2012 and January 2013. We conducted a qualitative study using semistructured interviews as our data source, employing a constructivist, grounded theory methodology.

FINDINGS

Both curricular and real-life factors influence the transfer of skills from simulation to practice and the overall performance of trainees. Clear instructions, the opportunity to practice to mastery, one-on-one observation with feedback, supervision, and further real-life experiences were perceived as factors that facilitated the transfer of skills. Concern for patient welfare, live trouble shooting, complexity of the intensive care unit environment, and the procedure itself were perceived as real-life factors that hindered the transfer of skills. Insights: As more studies confirm the superiority of simulation training versus apprenticeship training for initial student learning, the faculty should gain insight into factors that facilitate and hinder the transfer of skills from simulation to bedside settings and impact learners' performances. As simulation further augments clinical learning, efforts should be made to modify the curricular and bedside factors that facilitate transfer of skills from simulation to practice settings.

Clinical supervision and learning opportunities during simulated acute care scenarios

CONTEXT

Closer clinical supervision has been increasingly promoted to improve patient care. However, the continuous bedside presence of supervisors may threaten the model of progressive independence traditionally associated with effective clinical training. Studies have shown favourable effects of closer supervision on trainees' learning, but have not paid specific attention to the learning processes involved.

METHODS

We conducted a simulation-based study to explore the learning opportunities created during simulated resuscitation scenarios under different levels of supervision. Fifty-three residents completed a supervised scenario. Residents were randomised to one of three levels of supervision: telephone (distant); in-person after telephone consultation (immediately available), and in-person from the beginning of the simulation (direct). These interactions were converted into 234 pages of transcripts for analysis. We performed an inductive thematic analysis followed by a deductive analysis using situated learning theory as a theoretical framework.

RESULTS

Learning opportunities created during simulated scenarios were identified as belonging to either of two categories, incidental and engineered opportunities. The themes resulting from this framework contributed to our understanding of trainees' contributions to patient care, supervisors' influences on patient care, and trainee-supervisor interactions. All forms of supervision offered trainees incidental opportunities for practice, although the nature of these contributions could be affected by the bedside presence of supervisors. Supervisors' involvement in patient care by telephone and in person was associated with a shift of responsibility for patient care, but represented, respectively, engineered and incidental opportunities for observation. In-person supervisor-trainee interactions added value to observation and created additional opportunities for incidental feedback and engineered practice.

CONCLUSIONS

The shift of responsibility for patient care occurred during both direct and distant supervision, and did not necessarily translate into a lack of opportunities for trainee participation and practice.