Enhancement of plastic surgery training by including simulation in education and training programmes

plastic surgery education and training. The objectives entail determining the importance of simulation in plastic surgery training and identifying simulation modalities most suited to attain specific outcomes.Methods.Data were collected by means of a Delphi survey to obtain consensus from an expert panel comprising 9 plastic surgeons, supplemented by semi-structured interviews conducted with 8 national and international role players in simulation and postgraduate education.Results. Learning outcomes, levels of training, possible simulation modalities, cognitive levels and descriptive verbs and phrases were described, as these pertain to learning. Participants agreed that simulation in medical education can be used to enhance postgraduate plastic surgery training, with special reference to specific outcomes and cognitive levels. Participants made recommendations for the planning and support of the implementation, aimed at ensuring the quality of training.Conclusion.The objectives set were achieved and the results of the study serve as encouragement and guidance in the striving for the enhancement of postgraduate plastic surgery education and training, and in other medical disciplines

Simulation as an educational strategy to deliver interprofessional education

Background. Various educational methods are available to deliver interprofessional education (IPE) to prepare healthcare students for collaborative practice. One such method is simulation-based health education.Objectives. To identify current IPE methods used in undergraduate programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, and to determine the opinions of module leaders on using simulation as a particular IPE teaching strategy.Methods. A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive study design was employed. Structured interviews were conducted with 47 module leaders of the undergraduate programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences. These programmes cover 66 modules in the Schools for Allied Health Professions (nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and optometry), nursing and medicine.Results. At the time of the study, IPE activities were used in 29 (43.9%) of the modules, of which 17 (58.6%) were coincidental. Respondents' opinions on the potential use of simulation to address formalised IPE activities included the challenge of 'scheduling' (73.9%) and 'logistical and high cost issues' (19.6%). The most prominent advantage that was foreseen (41.3%) was better clarification of roles among the different professions.Conclusions. The module leaders had a positive attitude towards simulation and its potential use for IPE, with their major concern being logistical challenges. To improve role clarification, a scenario should be developed to engage students from all the relevant professions. The proposed type of simulation was to use standardised patients in a role-play scenario. The outcomes of these activities should be aligned with the principles of IPE

Fresh simulation options in critical care nursing education

Context and setting The Critical Care (General) Nursing Programme in the Faculty of Health Sciences; Stellenbosch University; South Africa is a one-year post graduate programme. The practical component of the course consists of a number of individual practical procedures e.g. suctioning of the intubated patient as well as several case presentations. In order for students to be able to do a case presentation they need to understand and integrate the critically sick patient's disease process as well as the medical and nursing management. In order for the students to pass the case presentations satisfactory is often a challenge as a much higher cognitive level is expected than when performing the individual practical procedures. Why the idea was necessary During the course of the programme weekly individual clinical guidance is provided to the students at the bedside in the critical care units. The purpose of these bedside sessions is for the students to discuss the critically sick patients with a critical care nurse educator in order to develop their integration; reasoning and case presentation skills. Students however tend to use these teaching opportunities only to practice and to be assessed on the individual practical procedures. Therefore graduates often possess of the skills to do the individual practical procedures; but because they find it difficult to integrate and understand the patient's disease process they lack insight in the holistic picture of the patient. What was done A case study design was used for this study. The practical procedures identified as suitable for simulation were demonstrated; practiced and assessed in simulation in the Clinical Skills Centre (CSC). The study focused on describing how the tutors and students involved experienced the use of simulation as well as how the use of the CSC for reaching competency in some of the practical procedures impacted on the available teaching time in the clinical settings. Evaluation of results and impact The result of completing the majority of the practical procedures in simulation was that more time was available for the students to practice doing case presentations with the critical care nurse educators during their clinical teaching sessions. students and tutors valued the use of simulation and enjoyed the sessions in the CSC. The issue of how successful the transfer of learning from the CSC to the clinical areas takes place poses very valid questions when it comes to simulation. It is vital that students should be able to transfer the learning that has occurred in the simulated setting to the clinical context. Further research on this subject could serve to establish whether students can apply the procedures they have been assessed on in the CSC equally well on real patients; or; if not; what measures can be implemented to facilitate this process

Drug collectors at Chonde Health Centre

A survey of patients not really sick but who come to the hospital to collect drugs and to avoid work