Simulation-Based Comprehensive Cleft Care Workshops: A Reproducible Model for Sustainable Education

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate simulation-based comprehensive cleft care workshops as a reproducible model for education with sustained impact. Design: Cross-sectional survey-based evaluation. Setting: Simulation-based comprehensive cleft care workshop. Participants: Total of 180 participants. Interventions: Three-day simulation-based comprehensive cleft care workshop. Main Outcome Measures: Number of workshop participants stratified by specialty, satisfaction with the workshop, satisfaction with simulation-based workshops as educational tools, impact on cleft surgery procedural confidence, short-term impact on clinical practice, medium-term impact on clinical practice. Results: The workshop included 180 participants from 5 continents. The response rate was 54.5%, with participants reporting high satisfaction with all aspects of the workshop and with simulation-based workshops as educational tools. Participants reported a significant improvement in cleft lip (33.3 ± 5.7 vs 25.7 ± 7.6; P < .001) and palate (32.4 ± 7.1 vs 23.7 ± 6.6; P < .001) surgery procedural confidence following the simulation sessions. Participants also reported a positive short-term and medium-term impact on their clinical practices. Conclusion: Simulation-based comprehensive cleft care workshops are well received by participants, lead to improved cleft surgery procedural confidence, and have a sustained positive impact on participants’ clinical practices. Future efforts should focus on evaluating and quantifying this perceived positive impact, as well reproducing these efforts in other areas of need.

Global Smile Foundation’s Cleft Surgical Outreach Program: Clinical and Economic Impact During the Past 14 Years

“…Furthermore, GSF holds annual educational comprehensive cleft care workshops in developing areas of the world to build cleft care capacity through education. Learners in these workshops have reported high satisfaction rates and improvement in their clinical practice 28,29. This adds to the value GSF is bringing to patients born with CLP in an underserved area by empowering local cleft care providers to care for their communities.…”

“…Learners in these workshops have reported high satisfaction rates and improvement in their clinical practice. 28,29 This adds to the value GSF is bringing to patients born with CLP in an underserved area by empowering local cleft care providers to care for their communities.…”

Comprehensive Cleft Care Delivery in Developing Countries: Impact of Geographic and Demographic Factors

“…The first international CCCW took place in the Middle East/North Africa region in Beirut, Lebanon in 2018, a region that has been ravaged by conflicts and sociopolitical unrest, resulting in significant turmoil and instability within the local healthcare system 12,14–17 . The second international CCCW took place in Latin America, specifically in Lima, Peru in 2019 where significant challenges and disparities in comprehensive cleft care delivery are also significant 6,13,18 . Our third international CCCW was initially scheduled to take place in India, but was ultimately held in a virtual format in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…12,14 -17 The second international CCCW took place in Latin America, specifically in Lima, Peru in 2019 where significant challenges and disparities in comprehensive cleft care delivery are also significant. 6,13,18 Our third international CCCW was initially scheduled to take place in India, but was ultimately held in a virtual format in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Sustainable Cleft Care: A Comprehensive Model Based on the Global Smile Foundation Experience

“…Similar results were obtained from the second comprehensive cleft care workshop in Lima, Peru, in 2019, that hosted 180 participants from 29 countries. Additionally, participants reported a positive impact of the workshop on their competence, performance, outcomes, clinical care, and clinical practice (Kantar et al, 2020a). The simulation-based hands-on sessions are an essential and evolving component of surgical education and contributed to increased procedural confidence among participants for cleft lip and cleft palate surgery.…”