ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Simulation training is gradually being integrated into the curriculum for caregivers in intensive care units. There are few training programs on communication with families. GOAL: This pilot-study evaluated the impact of a training protocol on professional practices including a protocol for the reception of the parents of a child admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The training program lasted 3 months and included three parts: a theoretical contribution, a simulation session with debriefing, and a focus group. During the simulation session, a multi-professional team of three healthcare providers (physician, nurse, assistant nurse) must apply a protocol for the reception of the parents of a child who had just been admitted. The protocol lasted 35 min and included three sequences: reception and dressing by the assistant nurse, medical meeting conducted by the physician and the nurse, support of the parents in the room by the nurse and the assistant nurse. The child was simulated by a manikin (SimBaby™, Laerdal) and the parents were prepared actors. The main objective of the pilot-study was to measure the rate of change in professional practices 1 year after the end of training. RESULTS: One year later, all healthcare providers (n=15) declared they had changed their professional practices and felt that half of these changes were due to the pilot-study. New practices such as receiving parents in pairs in a dedicated room or managing a short interview with the parents before supporting the child were applied "always" or "if possible". CONCLUSION: The pilot-study showed that the training program induced half of the changes of professional practices for welcoming the parents of a child admitted to pediatric intensive care unit 1 year later.
