ABSTRACT
Background and aim: Healthcare workers (HCW) are at increased risk of developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a COVID-19 patient is an aerosol-generating procedure. Guidelines for personal protective equipment (PPE) use and providing CPR to COVID-19 patients have been developed locally for the purpose of improving patient and HCW safety. Medical simulation is used to educate HCWs. We aimed to the determine the utility of COVID-19 CPR simulation in improving HCWs ability, confidence and knowledge in managing medical emergencies. Methods: 108 HCWs participated in a standardised 1-h moderate-fidelity CPR simulation designed and delivered in the medical simulation laboratory at our tertiary metropolitan hospital in Sydney, Australia. Participant-filled surveys were collected pre and post-simulation. Data was categorised into assessment of perceived knowledge, confidence and ability in PPE use and providing CPR using a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: Of 108 participants, 94 were doctors and 14 nurses. The mean subjective scores of confidence in providing CPR pre and post-simulation were 2.3 and 3.9 respectively (p < 0.001);perceived ability to provide CPR pre and post-simulation were 2.5 and 4.0 respectively (p < 0.001);confidence in PPE use pre and post-simulation were 3.1 and 4.2 respectively (p < 0.001);perceived ability in PPE use pre and post-simulation were 3.3 and 4.2 respectively (p < 0.001) (see Fig. 1). Adequate knowledge of specific elements of newly developed guidelines improved from 14% to 97% of participants pre and post-simulation. Conclusion: Our study shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic, simulation of medical emergency scenarios is a valuable tool in improving knowledge, confidence and perceived ability of HCWs in PPE use and providing CPR in medical emergencies where real-life experience may be limited. Inadequate preparation before encountering real-life scenarios in COVID-19 patients may compromise the safety of both patients and healthcare workers.