Barriers on Setting up Simulation Learning from Ground up during Covid Pandemic

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember;involve me and I will understand Confucius Simulation training is well established in improving patient care by learning from mistakes in a safe environment. During COVID pandemic, lot of junior doctor workforce were redeployed and having not worked in paediatrics was a cause of concern and need of the hour. METHOD(S) We formulated a team of enthusiastic, passionate and dedicated registrars and identified the barriers to setting up simulation for the first time in Leicester children hospital targeting specifically junior doctors. 1. Social distancing whilst working in a team. 2. Accessibility for time out from busy workload on the wards. 3. Being put on spot fear when already stressed with workload. RESULT(S) We took the support of college tutors, Senior Consultant and Nursing team to developed robust structured pathway for simulation scenarios and how to conduct them so that learning needs are achieved. This enabled registrars let the junior doctors to attend and adapt into existing teaching rota as a simulation session. We rotated to different wards and different day of the week to cover wide range of junior doctors and kept the scenarios specific for their workplace which in turn made them more relaxed and interested. CONCLUSION(S) Simulation is a great learning tool and be able to share experience and knowledge in difficult time of pandemic was a challenging but achievable. We learned and adapted changes from each simulation as coordinators which helped in running the subsequent sessions better.