Hi-Fi simulation: teaching crisis resource management to surgery residents

ABSTRACT

High-fidelity [HiFi] simulation has shown its effectiveness for teaching crisis resource management [CRM] principles, and our institutional experience in this area is mainly with anesthesiology residents. We recently added to our postgraduate curriculum a new CRM course designed to cater to the specific needs of surgical residents. This short communication describes the experience of the University of Montreal Simulation Centre [Centre d'Apprentissage des Attitudes et Habiletes Cliniques CAAHC] regarding HiFi simulation-based CRM and communication skills teaching for surgical residents. Thirty residents agreed to participate in a simulation course with pre-established scenarios and educational CRM objectives on a voluntary basis. When surveyed immediately after the activity, all residents agreed that the educational objectives were well defined [80% [strongly agree] and 20% [agree]]. The survey also showed that the course was well accepted by all participants [96% [strongly agree] and 4% [agree]]. Further trials with randomized groups and more reliable assessment tools are needed to validate our results. Still, integrating HiFi simulation based CRM learning in the surgical residency curriculum seems like an interesting step