Project description:IntroductionTube thoracostomy is a relatively infrequent, high-risk procedure that is a required competency for emergency medicine residents. Simulation-based mastery learning is the gold standard for procedure training and has been used to successfully train residents in high-risk procedures.MethodsWe developed a simulation-based mastery learning course for tube thoracostomy for PGY 2 emergency medicine residents. The course included (1) precourse work, (2) baseline assessment using a modified version of the TUBE-iCOMPT checklist, (3) anatomy/radiology review, (4) deliberate practice to master individual aspects of the procedure, and (5) final assessment. If a minimum passing score was not achieved, additional coaching and deliberate practice occurred until the learner was able to achieve a minimum passing score.ResultsAfter piloting the course with a cohort of seven PGY 2 emergency medicine residents, we successfully trained 24 additional PGY 2 residents in the subsequent two classes. Combining all three cohorts (N = 31), there was a statistically significant increase in learners' modified TUBE-iCOMPT scores (pretest M = 61.2, SD = 10.0; posttest M = 75.5, SD = 2.9; p < .001). Learners' confidence in their ability to correctly place a chest tube increased, rated on a 10-point Likert scale (1 = not very confident, 10 = very confident; precourse M = 5.6, SD = 1.8; postcourse M = 8.3, SD = 1.1; p < .001).DiscussionThis simulation-based course was well received by learners. Our assessment demonstrated that learners improved directly observed procedural skills in simulation and confidence in tube thoracostomy placement.
Project description:BACKGROUND: Paracentesis is a commonly performed bedside procedure that has the potential for serious complications. Therefore, simulation-based education for paracentesis is valuable for clinicians. OBJECTIVE: To assess internal medicine residents' procedural skills before and after simulation-based mastery learning on a paracentesis simulator. METHODS: A team with expertise in simulation and procedural skills developed and created a high fidelity, ultrasound-compatible paracentesis simulator. Fifty-eight first-year internal medicine residents completed a mastery learning-based intervention using the paracentesis simulator. Residents underwent baseline skill assessment (pretest) using a 25-item checklist. Residents completed a posttest after a 3-hour education session featuring a demonstration of the procedure, deliberate practice, ultrasound training, and feedback. All residents were expected to meet or exceed a minimum passing score (MPS) at posttest, the key feature of mastery learning. We compared pretest and posttest checklist scores to evaluate the effect of the educational intervention. Residents rated the training sessions. RESULTS: Residents' paracentesis skills improved from an average pretest score of 33.0% (SD = 15.2%) to 92.7% (SD = 5.4%) at posttest (P < .001). After the training intervention, all residents met or exceeded the MPS. The training sessions and realism of the simulation were rated highly by learners. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the ability of a paracentesis simulator to significantly improve procedural competence.
Project description:BackgroundUltrasound is an essential diagnostic examination used in several medical specialties. However, the quality of ultrasound examinations is dependent on mastery of certain skills, which may be difficult and costly to attain in the clinical setting. This study aimed to explore mastery learning for trainees practicing general abdominal ultrasound using a virtual reality simulator and to evaluate the associated cost per student achieving the mastery learning level.MethodsTrainees were instructed to train on a virtual reality ultrasound simulator until the attainment of a mastery learning level was established in a previous study. Automated simulator scores were used to track performances during each round of training, and these scores were recorded to determine learning curves. Finally, the costs of the training were evaluated using a micro-costing procedure.ResultsTwenty-one out of the 24 trainees managed to attain the predefined mastery level two times consecutively. The trainees completed their training with a median of 2h38min (range: 1h20min-4h30min) using a median of 7 attempts (range: 3-11 attempts) at the simulator test. The cost of training one trainee to the mastery level was estimated to be USD 638.ConclusionComplete trainees can obtain mastery learning levels in general abdominal ultrasound examinations within 3 hours of training in the simulated setting and at an average cost of USD 638 per trainee. Future studies are needed to explore how the cost of simulation-based training is best balanced against the costs of clinical training.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Early detection of melanoma represents an opportunity to reduce the burden of disease among people at increased risk for melanoma. OBJECTIVE:To develop and demonstrate the efficacy of online training. DESIGN:Randomized educational trial. PARTICIPANTS:Primary care providers (PCPs). INTERVENTION:Mastery learning course with visual and dermoscopic assessment, diagnosis and management, and deliberate practice with feedback to reach a minimum passing standard. MAIN MEASURES:Pre-test/post-test diagnostic accuracy. Referral of concerning lesions for 3 months before and after the educational intervention. KEY RESULTS:Among the 89 PCPs, 89.8% were internal medicine physicians, and the remainder were physician assistants embedded in internists' practices. There were no differences between control and intervention groups regarding gender, age, race, or percentage of full-time PCPs. The control group had more PCPs who reported less than 5 years of practice (n?=?18) than the intervention group (n?=?6) (?2 [6, n?=?89]?=?14.34, p?=?0.03). PCPs in the intervention group answered more melanoma detection questions correctly on the post-test (M?=?10.05, SE?=?1.24) compared to control group PCPs (M?=?7.11, SE?=?0.24), and had fewer false-positive and no false-negative melanoma diagnoses (intervention, M?=?1.09, SE?=?0. 20; control, M?=?3.1, SE?=?0.23; ANCOVA, F[1,378] =27.86, p?<?0.001; ?p2?=?0.26). PCPs who underwent training referred fewer benign lesions, including nevi, seborrheic keratoses, and dermatofibromas, than control PCPs (F[1,79]?=?72.89, p?<?0.001; ?p2?=?0.489; F[1,79]?=?25.82, p?<?0.001; ?p2?=?0.246; F[1,79]?=?34.25, p?<?0.001; ?p2?=?0.302; respectively). Those receiving training referred significantly more melanomas than controls (F[1,79]?=?24.38, p?<?0.001; ?p2?=?0.236). Referred melanomas (0.8 ?±?0.07 per month for intervention, 0.17?±?0.06 for control) were mostly located on the head and neck. CONCLUSIONS:Mastery learning improved PCPs' ability to detect melanoma on a standardized post-test and may improve referral of patients with suspected melanoma. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02385253.
Project description:Critical thinking, the capacity to be deliberate about thinking, is increasingly the focus of undergraduate medical education, but is not commonly addressed in graduate medical education. Without critical thinking, physicians, and particularly residents, are prone to cognitive errors, which can lead to diagnostic errors, especially in a high-stakes environment such as the intensive care unit. Although challenging, critical thinking skills can be taught. At this time, there is a paucity of data to support an educational gold standard for teaching critical thinking, but we believe that five strategies, routed in cognitive theory and our personal teaching experiences, provide an effective framework to teach critical thinking in the intensive care unit. The five strategies are: make the thinking process explicit by helping learners understand that the brain uses two cognitive processes: type 1, an intuitive pattern-recognizing process, and type 2, an analytic process; discuss cognitive biases, such as premature closure, and teach residents to minimize biases by expressing uncertainty and keeping differentials broad; model and teach inductive reasoning by utilizing concept and mechanism maps and explicitly teach how this reasoning differs from the more commonly used hypothetico-deductive reasoning; use questions to stimulate critical thinking: "how" or "why" questions can be used to coach trainees and to uncover their thought processes; and assess and provide feedback on learner's critical thinking. We believe these five strategies provide practical approaches for teaching critical thinking in the intensive care unit.
Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) on internal medicine residents' lumbar puncture (LP) skills, assess neurology residents' acquired LP skills from traditional clinical education, and compare the results of SBML to traditional clinical education.MethodsThis study was a pretest-posttest design with a comparison group. Fifty-eight postgraduate year (PGY) 1 internal medicine residents received an SBML intervention in LP. Residents completed a baseline skill assessment (pretest) using a 21-item LP checklist. After a 3-hour session featuring deliberate practice and feedback, residents completed a posttest and were expected to meet or exceed a minimum passing score (MPS) set by an expert panel. Simulator-trained residents' pretest and posttest scores were compared to assess the impact of the intervention. Thirty-six PGY2, 3, and 4 neurology residents from 3 medical centers completed the same simulated LP assessment without SBML. SBML posttest scores were compared to neurology residents' baseline scores.ResultsPGY1 internal medicine residents improved from a mean of 46.3% to 95.7% after SBML (p < 0.001) and all met the MPS at final posttest. The performance of traditionally trained neurology residents was significantly lower than simulator-trained residents (mean 65.4%, p < 0.001) and only 6% met the MPS.ConclusionsResidents who completed SBML showed significant improvement in LP procedural skills. Few neurology residents were competent to perform a simulated LP despite clinical experience with the procedure.
Project description:Study aimTo summarize the current state of knowledge of deliberate practice and mastery learning (DP and/or ML) as teaching methods for resuscitation education.MethodsA scoping review of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase was conducted through March 1, 2021. Studies examining the effect of the incorporation of either deliberate practice and/or mastery learning during resuscitation education were eligible for inclusion. Included studies were dichotomized into studies comparing deliberate practice and/or mastery learning to other training methods (randomized controlled trials) and studies examining before and after impact of deliberate practice and/or mastery learning alone (observational studies). Studies and findings were tabulated and summarized using the scoping review methodology published by Arksey and O'Malley.Results63 published studies were screened; sixteen studies met all inclusion criteria (4 randomized controlled trials and 12 observational studies). One randomized controlled trial and eleven observational studies demonstrated improvement in skill and/or knowledge following educational interventions using deliberate practice and/or mastery learning. Significant variability between studies with regard to research designs, learner groups, comparators, and outcomes of interest made quantitative summarization of findings difficult.ConclusionsThe incorporation of deliberate practice and/or mastery learning in resuscitation education may be associated with improved educational outcomes and less skill decay than other educational methods. Current literature on DP and ML suffers from a lack of consistency in research methodology, subjects, and outcomes. Future research should employ uniform definitions for deliberate practice and mastery learning, follow research design that isolates its effect, and examine generalizable and translatable outcomes.
Project description:IntroductionEmergency department thoracotomy (EDT) is a lifesaving procedure within the scope of practice of emergency physicians. Because EDT is infrequently performed, emergency medicine (EM) residents lack opportunities to develop procedural competency. There is no current mastery learning curriculum for residents to learn EDT. The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a simulation-based mastery learning curriculum to teach and assess EM residents' performance of the EDT.MethodsWe developed an EDT curriculum using a mastery learning framework. The minimum passing standard (MPS) for a previously developed 22-item checklist was determined using the Mastery Angoff approach. EM residents at a four-year academic EM residency program underwent baseline testing in performing an EDT on a simulation trainer. Performance was scored by two raters using the checklist. Learners then participated in a novel mastery learning EDT curriculum that included an educational video, hands-on instruction, and deliberate practice. After a three-month period, residents then completed initial post testing. Residents who did not meet the minimum passing standard after post testing participated in additional deliberate practice until mastery was obtained. Baseline and post-test scores, and time to completion of the procedure were compared with paired t-tests.ResultsOf 56 eligible EM residents, 54 completed baseline testing. Fifty-two residents completed post-testing until mastery was reached. The minimum passing standard was 91.1%, (21/22 items correct on the checklist). No participants met the MPS at the baseline assessment. After completion of the curriculum, all residents subsequently reached the MPS, with deliberate practice sessions not exceeding 40 minutes. Scores from baseline testing to post-testing significantly improved across all postgraduate years from a mean score of 10.2/22 to 21.4/22 (p <0.001). Mean time to complete the procedure improved from baseline testing (6 minutes [min] and 21 seconds [sec], interquartile range [IQR] = 4 min 54 sec - 7 min 51 sec) to post-testing (5 min 19 seconds, interquartile range 4 min 17sec - 6 min 15 sec; p = 0.001).ConclusionThis simulation-based mastery learning curriculum resulted in all residents performing an EDT at a level that met or exceeded the MPS with an overall decrease in time needed to perform the procedure.
Project description:Background: Caring for patients requiring mechanical ventilation is complex, and residents may lack adequate skill for managing these patients. Simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) is an educational model that trains clinicians to a high standard and can reduce complications. The mastery learning model has not been applied to ventilator management. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether SBML, as compared with traditional training, is an effective strategy for teaching residents the skills necessary to manage patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Methods: We developed an SBML curriculum and a 47-item skills checklist to test ventilator management for patients with normal, restricted, and obstructed lung physiology. A minimum passing standard (MPS) on the checklist was set using the Mastery Angoff method. Residents rotating through the medical intensive care unit in Academic Year 2017-2018 were assigned to SBML or traditional training based on their medical intensive care unit team. The SBML group was pretested on a ventilator simulator using the skills checklist. They then received a 1.5-hour session (45 min didactic and 45 min deliberate practice on the simulator with feedback). At rotation completion, they were posttested on the simulator using the checklist until the MPS was met. Both SBML-trained and traditionally trained groups received teaching during daily bedside rounds and twice weekly didactic lectures. At rotation completion, traditionally trained residents were tested using the same skills checklist on the simulator. We compared pretest and posttest performance among SBML-trained residents and end of the rotation test performances between the SBML-trained and traditionally trained residents. Results: The MPS was set at 87% on the checklist. Fifty-seven residents were assigned to the SBML-trained group and 49 were assigned to the traditionally trained group. Mean checklist scores for SBML-trained residents improved from 51.4% (standard deviation [SD] = 17.5%) at pretest to 86.1% (SD = 7.6%) at initial posttest and 92.5% (SD = 3.7%) at final (mastery) posttest (both P < 0.001). Forty-two percent of residents required more than one attempt at the posttest to meet or exceed the MPS. At rotation completion, the traditionally trained residents had a mean test score of 60.9% (SD = 13.3%). Conclusion: SBML is an effective strategy to train residents on mechanical ventilator management. An SBML curriculum may augment traditional training methods to further equip residents to safely manage ventilated patients.
Project description:ObjectiveInserting peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) has been identified as a core competency for medical students. Because the performance - even of hygienic standards - of both students and novice physicians is frequently inadequate, medical faculties must focus on competence-based learning objectives and deliberate practice, features that are combined in mastery learning. Our aim was to determine the competency of students in inserting PVCs before and after an educational intervention.DesignThis study comprised a skills assessment with pre- and post-tests of a group of third-year students who received a simulation-based intervention. A newly established curriculum involved one hour of practice at inserting PVCs on simulators. Students were required to pass a test (total 21 points, pass mark 20 points) developed on the concept of mastery learning. An unannounced follow-up test was performed one week (8 days) after the intervention.SettingThe simulation center of the medical faculty in Muenster.ParticipantsThird-year students who received the intervention.ResultsOne hundred and nine complete data sets were obtained from 133 students (82.5%). Most students (97.2%) passed the test after the intervention (mean score increase from 15.56 to 20.50, P<0.001). There was a significant decrease in students' performance after one week (8 days): only 74.5% of participants passed this retest (mean score reduction from 20.50 to 20.06, P<0.001).ConclusionMastery learning is an effective form of teaching practical skills to medical students, allowing a thorough preparation for the challenges of daily clinical practice.