In Situ Medical Simulation Investigation of Emergency Department Procedural Sedation With Randomized Trial of Experimental Bedside Clinical Process Guidance Intervention

Quality Improvement Initiative Using Blended In Situ Simulation Training on Procedural Sedation and Analgesia in a Pediatric Emergency Department: Better Patient Care at Lower Costs

INTRODUCTION

There is evidence in the literature for high-fidelity in situ simulation training programs being an effective modality for physicians training. This quality initiative focused on implementation of the procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in our pediatric emergency department (PED). The primary outcomes of this study were to evaluate the impact of blended in situ simulation training (BST) program on PSA for closed forearm fracture reduction in the PED and to assess its cost-effectiveness. The secondary outcomes were to estimate this change on PSA's clinical efficacy and safety.

METHODS

Between 2014 and 2018, a single-center, quasi-experimental, uncontrolled before and after study on forearm fracture reduction management was conducted. To assess the impact of our BST-PSA course, both historical control and prospective analyses were performed. Statistical significance was based on Fisher exact test or Pearson χ 2 test.

RESULTS

Eight hundred eighty-five children met inclusion criteria. A significant difference in the number of PSAs performed in the PED, before and after BST, was found (37% vs. 85.3%, P < 0.001). Furthermore, a reduction in the number of hospitalizations for closed fracture reduction was measured (68.2% vs. 31.8%, P < 0.001). The overall cost savings from the BST-enabled increase in PSAs carried out in the PED was €370,714 ($440,838) with a return on investment of 64:1. No significant increase of PSA-related adverse events was found, and no serious adverse events occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide evidence of the benefits of implementing BST to enable PSA use in the PED, with an improved patient flow and significant cost savings from avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations.

Is in situ simulation in emergency medicine safe? A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

To provide an overview of the available evidence regarding the safety of in situ simulation (ISS) in the emergency department (ED).

DESIGN

Scoping review.

METHODS

Original articles published before March 2021 were included if they investigated the use of ISS in the field of emergency medicine.

INFORMATION SOURCES

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and Web of Science.

RESULTS

A total of 4077 records were identified by our search strategy and 2476 abstracts were screened. One hundred and thirty full articles were reviewed and 81 full articles were included. Only 33 studies (40%) assessed safety-related issues, among which 11 chose a safety-related primary outcome. Latent safety threats (LSTs) assessment was conducted in 24 studies (30%) and the cancellation rate was described in 9 studies (11%). The possible negative impact of ISS on real ED patients was assessed in two studies (2.5%), through a questionnaire and not through patient outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Most studies use ISS for systems-based or education-based applications. Patient safety during ISS is often evaluated in the context of identifying or mitigating LSTs and rarely on the potential impact and risks to patients simultaneously receiving care in the ED. Our scoping review identified knowledge gaps related to the safe conduct of ISS in the ED, which may warrant further investigation.

GENESISS 2-Generating Standards for In-Situ Simulation project: a systematic mapping review

BACKGROUND

In-situ simulation is increasingly employed in healthcare settings to support learning and improve patient, staff and organisational outcomes. It can help participants to problem solve within real, dynamic and familiar clinical settings, develop effective multidisciplinary team working and facilitates learning into practice. There is nevertheless a reported lack of a standardised and cohesive approach across healthcare organisations. The aim of this systematic mapping review was to explore and map the current evidence base for in-situ interventions, identify gaps in the literature and inform future research and evaluation questions.

METHODS

A systematic mapping review of published in-situ simulation literature was conducted. Searches were conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, PsycINFO, CINAHL, MIDIRS and ProQuest databases to identify all relevant literature from inception to October 2020. Relevant papers were retrieved, reviewed and extracted data were organised into broad themes.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine papers were included in the mapping review. In-situ simulation is used 1) as an assessment tool; 2) to assess and promote system readiness and safety cultures; 3) to improve clinical skills and patient outcomes; 4) to improve non-technical skills (NTS), knowledge and confidence. Most studies included were observational and assessed individual, team or departmental performance against clinical standards. There was considerable variation in assessment methods, length of study and the frequency of interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

This mapping highlights various in-situ simulation approaches designed to address a range of objectives in healthcare settings; most studies report in-situ simulation to be feasible and beneficial in addressing various learning and improvement objectives. There is a lack of consensus for implementing and evaluating in-situ simulation and further studies are required to identify potential benefits and impacts on patient outcomes. In-situ simulation studies need to include detailed demographic and contextual data to consider transferability across care settings and teams and to assess possible confounding factors. Valid and reliable data collection tools should be developed to capture the complexity of team and individual performance in real settings. Research should focus on identifying the optimal frequency and length of in-situ simulations to improve outcomes and maximize participant experience.

GENESISS 1-Generating Standards for In-Situ Simulation project: a scoping review and conceptual model

BACKGROUND

In-Situ Simulation (ISS) enables teams to rehearse and review practice in the clinical environment to facilitate knowledge transition, reflection and safe learning. There is increasing use of ISS in healthcare organisations for which patient safety and quality improvement are key drivers. However, the effectiveness of ISS interventions has not yet been fully demonstrated and requires further study to maximise impact. Cohesive programmatic implementation is lacking and efforts to standardise ISS terms and concepts, strengthen the evidence base and develop an integrated model of learning is required. The aim of this study was to explore the current evidence, theories and concepts associated with ISS across all areas of healthcare and develop a conceptual model to inform future ISS research and best practice guidance.

METHODS

A scoping review was undertaken with stakeholder feedback to develop a conceptual model for ISS. Medline, OpenGrey and Web of Science were searched in September 2018 and updated in December 2020. Data from the included scoping review studies were analysed descriptively and organised into categories based on the different motivations, concepts and theoretical approaches for ISS. Categories and concepts were further refined through accessing stakeholder feedback.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight papers were included in the scoping review. Papers reported the development and evaluation of ISS interventions. Stakeholder groups highlighted situations where ISS could be suitable to improve care and outcomes and identified contextual and practical factors for implementation. A conceptual model of ISS was developed which was organised into four themes: 1. To understand and explore why systematic events occur in complex settings; 2.To design and test new clinical spaces, equipment, information technologies and procedures; 3. To practice and develop capability in individual and team performance; 4. To assess competency in complex clinical settings.

CONCLUSIONS

ISS presents a promising approach to improve individual and team capabilities and system performance and address the 'practice-theory gap'. However, there are limitations associated with ISS such as the impact on the clinical setting and service provision, the reliance of having an open learning culture and availability of relevant expertise. ISS should be introduced with due consideration of the specific objectives and learning needs it is proposed to address. Effectiveness of ISS has not yet been established and further research is required to evaluate and disseminate the findings of ISS interventions.

Initiative to Increase the Rate of Emergency Department Physician Preprocedure Time-out Documentation

The preprocedure time-out is an important safety measure to verify patient identity and accuracy of a planned procedure. The time-out is an institutional and Joint Commission requirement. However, physicians in our emergency departments (EDs) document it inconsistently. We aimed to improve physician preprocedure time-out documentation for deep sedation (ketamine and/or propofol) from 75% to 90%, and separately for cutaneous abscess incision and drainage (I&D) from 94% to 98% by June 2020.

Methods

We analyzed 1 year of baseline data and weekly electronic medical record (EMR) reports from November 2019 through June 2020. Our outcome measures were the rate of physician time-out documentation for deep sedation and I&D, respectively; our process measure was physician engagement. Our interventions included education, monthly reminders and updates, individualized feedback for insufficient documentation, EMR deep sedation, and I&D procedure note optimization, and academic and financial incentives. We used statistical process control chart quality improvement rules for discerning special versus common cause variation.

Results

Physician documentation of a preprocedure time-out improved from 75% to 100% for deep sedation and from 94% to 99.3% for I&D. These improvements remained sustained. All physicians were eligible for the financial bonus, and 40 (63%) met Maintenance of Certification credit requirements.

Conclusions

Using quality improvement methodology, we increased physician time-out documentation for deep sedation and I&D through education, feedback, and systems enhancement. We improved Joint Commission regulatory compliance and reduced potential harm through these safety checks. Future studies may quantify patient safety effects and examine the efficacy of similar interventions for other procedures.

Pediatric residents' simulation-based training in patient safety during sedation

In Israeli emergency departments, pediatric residents are allowed to independently perform procedural sedation after training. Preparing the residents to practice unsupervised sedations requires participation in a simulation-based training in patient safety during sedation (STPSDS). The study objective was to evaluate participants' perception of knowledge and confidence from the STPSDS. We performed a retrospective analysis of participants' self-reported perception of knowledge acquisition. At the end of each course, participants were requested to rate, anonymously and independently, the training contribution to their knowledge and confidence using a four-point Likert scale. Between January 2010 and December 2017, 321 pediatric residents participated in 67 STPSDS courses; 315 completed the self-assessments. Participants' median responses of the training contribution were 4 (IQR 3-4) for overall knowledge, 4 (IQR 4-4) for understanding potential complications during sedation, 3 (IQR 3-4) for knowledge in managing adverse events, and 3 (IQR 2-4) for knowledge in practicing safe sedation. Median response for contribution to participants' confidence in performing sedation was 3 (IQR 3-4).Conclusion: We found that the STPSDS improved perception of knowledge and confidence among pediatric residents. Our findings suggest that this training has a valuable role in preparing pediatric residents to practice unsupervised sedations in the ED. What is Known: • In Israel, sedation-trained pediatric residents performed sedations in the Emergency Department • Successful completion of a simulation-based training in patient safety during sedation (STPSDS) is a mandatory requirement to perform unsupervised sedation. What is New: • The STPSDS improved perception of knowledge and confidence among pediatric residents. • This training may be valuable in preparing pediatric residents to practice unsupervised sedations.

A Simulation-based Approach to Measuring Team Situational Awareness in Emergency Medicine: A Multicenter, Observational Study

OBJECTIVES

Team situational awareness (TSA) is critical for effective teamwork and supports dynamic decision making in unpredictable, time-pressured situations. Simulation provides a platform for developing and assessing TSA, but these efforts are limited by suboptimal measurement approaches. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel approach to TSA measurement in interprofessional emergency medicine (EM) teams.

METHODS

We performed a multicenter, prospective, simulation-based observational study to evaluate an approach to TSA measurement. Interprofessional emergency medical teams, consisting of EM resident physicians, nurses, and medical students, were recruited from the University of Washington (Seattle, WA) and Wayne State University (Detroit, MI). Each team completed a simulated emergency resuscitation scenario. Immediately following the simulation, team members completed a TSA measure, a team perception of shared understanding measure, and a team leader effectiveness measure. Subject matter expert reviews and pilot testing of the TSA measure provided evidence of content and response process validity. Simulations were recorded and independently coded for team performance using a previously validated measure. The relationships between the TSA measure and other variables (team clinical performance, team perception of shared understanding, team leader effectiveness, and team experience) were explored. The TSA agreement metric was indexed by averaging the pairwise agreement for each dyad on a team and then averaging across dyads to yield agreement at the team level. For the team perception of shared understanding and team leadership effectiveness measures, individual team member scores were aggregated within a team to create a single team score. We computed descriptive statistics for all outcomes. We calculated Pearson's product-moment correlations to determine bivariate correlations between outcome variables with two-tailed significance testing (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

A total of 123 participants were recruited and formed three-person teams (n = 41 teams). All teams completed the assessment scenario and postsimulation measures. TSA agreement ranged from 0.19 to 0.9 and had a mean (±SD) of 0.61 (±0.17). TSA correlated with team clinical performance (p < 0.05) but did not correlate with team perception of shared understanding, team leader effectiveness, or team experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Team situational awareness supports adaptive teams and is critical for high reliability organizations such as healthcare systems. Simulation can provide a platform for research aimed at understanding and measuring TSA. This study provides a feasible method for simulation-based assessment of TSA in interdisciplinary teams that addresses prior measure limitations and is appropriate for use in highly dynamic, uncertain situations commonly encountered in emergency department systems. Future research is needed to understand the development of and interactions between individual-, team-, and system (distributed)-level cognitive processes.

The effect of in situ simulation training on the performance of tasks related to patient safety during sedation

In many countries, procedural sedation outside of the operating room is performed by pediatricians. We examined if in situ sedation simulation training (SST) of pediatricians improves the performance of tasks related to patient safety during sedation in the Emergency Department (ED). We performed a single-center, quasi-experimental, study evaluating the performance of sedation, before-and-after SST. Sixteen pediatricians were evaluated during sedation as part of their usual practice, using the previously validated Sedation-Performance-Score (SPS). This tool evaluates physician behaviors during sedation that are conducive to safe patient outcomes. Following the sedation, providers completed SST, followed by a structured debriefing. They were then re-evaluated with the SPS during a subsequent patient sedation in the ED. Using multivariate regression, odds ratios were calculated for each SPS component, and were compared before and after the SST. Thirty-two sedations were performed, 16 before and 16 after SST. SPS scores improved from a median of 4 (IQR 2-5) to 6 (IQR 4-7) following SST (p < 0.0009, median difference 2, 95% CI 1-3). SST was associated with improved performance in four SPS components. The findings of this pilot study suggest that sedation simulation training of pediatricians improves several tasks related to patient safety during sedation.

Critical Appraisal of Emergency Medicine Educational Research: The Best Publications of 2015

OBJECTIVE

The objectives were to critically appraise the medical education research literature of 2015 and review the highest-quality quantitative and qualitative examples.

METHODS

A total of 434 emergency medicine (EM)-related articles were discovered upon a search of ERIC, PsychINFO, PubMED, and SCOPUS. These were both quantitative and qualitative in nature. All were screened by two of the authors using previously published exclusion criteria, and the remaining were appraised by all authors using a previously published scoring system. The highest scoring articles were then reviewed.

RESULTS

Sixty-one manuscripts were scored, and 10 quantitative and two qualitative papers were the highest scoring and are reviewed and summarized in this article.

CONCLUSIONS

This installment in this critical appraisal series reviews 12 of the highest-quality EM-related medical education research manuscripts published in 2015.

Critical Appraisal of Emergency Medicine Educational Research: The Best Publications of 2015

OBJECTIVE

The objectives were to critically appraise the medical education research literature of 2015 and review the highest-quality quantitative and qualitative examples.

METHODS

A total of 434 emergency medicine (EM)-related articles were discovered upon a search of ERIC, PsychINFO, PubMED, and SCOPUS. These were both quantitative and qualitative in nature. All were screened by two of the authors using previously published exclusion criteria, and the remaining were appraised by all authors using a previously published scoring system. The highest scoring articles were then reviewed.

RESULTS

Sixty-one manuscripts were scored, and 10 quantitative and two qualitative papers were the highest scoring and are reviewed and summarized in this article.

CONCLUSIONS

This installment in this critical appraisal series reviews 12 of the highest-quality EM-related medical education research manuscripts published in 2015.