Background Health care professionals worldwide are increasingly using telemedicine in their daily clinical practice. However, there is still a lack of dedicated education and training even though it is needed to improve the quality of the diverse range of telemedicine activities. Simulation-based training may be a useful tool in telemedicine education and training delivery. Objective This study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of simulation-based telemedicine training. Methods We assessed five telemedicine training sessions conducted in a simulation laboratory. The training was focused on video teleconsultations between a patient and a health care professional. The assessment included the participants’ satisfaction and attitudes toward the training. Results We included 29 participants in total. Participant satisfaction was high (mean score 4.9 of 5), and those that took part stated the high applicability of the simulation-based training to their telemedicine practices (mean score 4.6 of 5). They also stated that they intended to use telemedicine in the future (mean score 4.5 of 5). Conclusions Simulation-based training of telemedicine dedicated to video teleconsultation was feasible and showed high satisfaction from participants. However, it remains difficult to scale for a high number of health care professionals.
BACKGROUND Healthcare professionals are increasingly required to include telemedicine in their daily practices in the context of increasing willingness by medical establishments to treat aging populations and the development and acceptance of communication technologies. Despite this, there is a lack of specialized training, which could be remedied by simulation-based learning. OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate whether simulation-based learning is suitable and effective in teaching telemedicine practices, and if so, under what conditions. We also aimed to investigate whether simulation training could respond to the particular needs of staff who are involved in a telemedicine project. METHODS We observed 5 telemedicine training sessions in a simulation laboratory at the University of Franche-Comté, involving a total of 29 participants. We assessed the effectiveness of the simulation-based training by evaluating the participants' understanding of the possibilities of telemedicine in their daily practices. RESULTS The participants' feedback on the training sessions was extremely positive, with the majority of participants recognizing the effectiveness of first-hand experience in improving their understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine. A small minority remained hesitant about putting telemedicine into practice in a real-life situation. CONCLUSIONS Telemedicine, particularly teleconsultation, is a source of concern for many healthcare professionals. A major advantage of teaching in a simulation laboratory is that it allows the participants to tackle their questions head-on by experiencing the reality of telemedicine in a secure environment. This means that they have a fuller picture of telemedicine, and are better able to envisage using it in practice.
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