Role of SimMan in teaching clinical skills to preclinical medical students

Abstract

BackgroundSimulation training has potential in developing clinical skills in pre-clinical medical students, but there is little evidence on its effectiveness.MethodsTwenty four first year graduate entry preclinical medical students participated in this crossover study. They were divided into two groups, one performed chest examination on each other and the other used SimMan. The groups then crossed over. A pretest, midtest and post-test was conducted in which the students answered the same questionnaire with ten questions on knowledge, and confidence levels rated using a 5 point Likert scale. They were assessed formatively using the OSCE marking scheme. At the end of the session, 23 students completed a feedback questionnaire. Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA and independent t-test.ResultsWhen the two groups were compared, there was no significant difference in the pretest and the post-test scores on knowledge questions whereas the midtest scores increased significantly (P< 0.001) with the group using SimMan initially scoring higher. A significant increase in the test scores was seen between the pre-test and the mid-test for this group (P=0.009). There was a similar albeit non significant trend between the midtest and the post-test for the group using peer examination initially.Mean confidence ratings increased from the pretest to midtest and then further in the post-test for both groups. Their confidence ratings increased significantly in differentiating between normal and abnormal signs [Group starting with SimMan, between pretest and midtest (P= 0.01) and group starting with peer examination, between midtest and post-test (P=0.02)]. When the students’ ability to perform examination on each other for both groups was compared, there was a significant increase in the scores of the group starting with SimMan (P=0.007).ConclusionsThis pilot study demonstrated a significant improvement in the students’ knowledge and competence to perform chest examination after simulation with an increase in the student’s perceived levels of confidence. Feedback from the students was extremely positive. SimMan acts as a useful adjunct to teach clinical skills to preclinical medical students by providing a simulated safe environment and thus aids in bridging the gap between the preclinical and clinical years in medical undergraduate education.

Effect of Educational Program for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Using Simman versus TraditionalManikin on 2nd Year Nursing Students’ Performance

“…Also [12] in a study about role of SimMan in teaching clinical skills as CPR demonstrated that there was a significant improvement in the students' knowledge and competence to perform CPR. While this was in disagreement with [13] in their study about Comparing two training methods for CPR skill who stated that there is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the total questions regarding knowledge assessment for both groups before and after training.…”

Predoctoral Dental Students’ Perceptions of Dental Implant Training: Effect of Preclinical Simulation and Clinical Experience

“…15 In our study, the students had better understanding of the interrelationship between surgical placements and implant restoration with clinical experience. 15 In our study, the students had better understanding of the interrelationship between surgical placements and implant restoration with clinical experience.…”

“…9,10 Challenges identified in establishing implant instruction in predoctoral dental education are cost for implementation, limited funding, patient availability, and limited time in the curriculum. 15 To resolve this problem, instructional methods slowly evolved to incorporate a combination of didactic and simulation training, thereby linking knowledge with clinical practice. 14 In medical education, Swamy et al found that the transition from didactic training to clinical training was a major source of stress for students.…”

“…[15][16][17] Reasons given for its popularity have been that simulation training enabled learners to develop clinical skills without fear of harm to patients, helped with retention of didactic information and repetition of critical skills, and increased student motivation and satisfaction. [15][16][17] Reasons given for its popularity have been that simulation training enabled learners to develop clinical skills without fear of harm to patients, helped with retention of didactic information and repetition of critical skills, and increased student motivation and satisfaction.…”

Ef cient and Effective Use of Peer Teaching for Medical Student Simulation

“…Simulation has the advantage of introducing students to serious clinical conditions in a standardized and non-threatening manner2 without involving actual patients and provides an environment for students to gain practice teaching,4–8 which also increases their knowledge retention 9. The benefits of simulation in medical education have been well documented 2,10,11. However, simulation training requires considerable resources, not the least of which is faculty time required for preparation and delivery.…”