How theories of complexity and resilience affect interprofessional simulation-based education: a qualitative analysis of facilitators' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Quality of care and patient safety rely on the ability of interprofessional teams to collaborate effectively. This can be trained through interprofessional simulation-based education (IPSE). Patient safety also relies on the ability to adapt to the complexity of such situations, an ability termed resilience. Since these needs are not explicitly addressed in IPSE, the aim of this study was to explore how central concepts from complexity-theory and resilience affect IPSE, from facilitators' perspective, when applied in debriefings. METHODS: A set of central concepts in complexity-theory and resilience were introduced to facilitators on an IPSE course for nursing and medical students. In five iterations of focus groups interviews the facilitators discussed their application of these concepts by reviewing video recordings of their own debriefings. Video recordings of the interviews were subjected to coding and thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three themes were identified. The first, Concepts of complexity and resilience are relevant for IPSE, points to the applicability of these concepts and to the fact that students often need to deviate from prescribed guidelines/algorithms in order to solve cases. The second theme, Exploring complexity, shows how uncertainty could be used as a cue to explore complexity. Further, that individual performance needs to account for the context of actions and how this may lead to certain outcomes. Moreover, it was suggested that several ways to approach a challenge can contribute to important insight in the conditions for teamwork. The third theme, Unpacking how solutions are achieved, turns to needs for handling the aforementioned complexity. It illustrates the importance of addressing self-criticism by highlighting how students were often able to overcome challenges and find solutions. Finally, this theme highlights how pre-defined guidelines and algorithms still work as important resources to help students in transforming perceived messiness into clarity. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that IPSE provides the possibility to explore complexity and highlight resilience so that such capability can be trained and improved. Further studies are needed to develop more concrete ways of using IPSE to account for complexity and developing resilience capacity and to evaluate to what extent IPSE can provide such an effect.

Technology-Enhanced Learning of Human Trauma Biomechanics in an Interprofessional Student Context.

Phenomenon: This study aimed to investigate how students can develop their understanding of trauma biomechanics by means of technology-enhanced learning-an interactive visualization tool developed to enhance understanding of the biomechanics underlying an injury via dynamic imaging sequences. Approach: Students were invited to explore the content as a learning resource during an interprofessional clinical placement on an orthopedic ward. Thirty volunteer medical, nursing, and physiotherapy/occupational therapy students participated in 10 interprofessional groups of three participants. They were video recorded while interacting with learning software that was divided into five sections: Work Up, General Information, Biomechanical Case Study, Biomechanical Risk Assessment, and Treatment. Investigators probed students' learning experiences via four focus group discussions. A sociomaterial perspective was adopted, directing the analytical focus to how students' made use of talk, gestures, bodies, and material objects to understand the visualized phenomena. Findings: When connecting the visualization to a patient case, certain features of the technology stood out as important for promoting engagement and understanding trauma mechanisms. Decreased tempo, showing the directions and dynamics of trauma biomechanics in slow-motion, and color coding of the strain on the affected structures were especially important for evoking the emotional responses. The visualization tool also supported students' explorations of causal relationships between external forces and their biomedical effects. These features emphasize the sociomaterial relation between the design of the technology and the student activities. Insights: Dynamic visualization of biomechanical events has the potential to improve the understanding of injury mechanisms and specifically to identify anatomical structures at high risk of injury. Dynamic visualizations for educational purposes seem to promote possibilities for learners to contextualize visual representations relative to one's own body. Educational methods and practice need explicit attention and development in order to use the full potential of the visualization technology for learning for the health care professions.

All professions can benefit - a mixed-methods study on simulation-based teamwork training for operating room teams.

BACKGROUND: Operating rooms have become more technically complex due to new advanced procedures, which has increased demands on teamwork in the operating room. In response, team training has been proposed to improve team performance, workplace culture, and patient safety. We developed and delivered a simulation-based team training course for entire professional surgical teams. This type of intervention has been proposed by researchers but has not been widely published. The aims of this intervention study were to examine participants' reactions to the course in terms of their motivation for the training and their self-efficacy in relation to their performance, as well as their views on transferring the lessons learned in the course to their workplace. METHODS: In a prospective mixed-methods intervention study, operating room professionals participated in a full-day simulation-based teamwork training course. Learning objectives were nontechnical skills, specifically communication and collaboration across the team. Seventy-one staff members representing 5 operating room professions were included, and the average work experience of participants was 6 years. Quantitative data on self-efficacy and situational motivation were collected by questionnaires before and after training. Qualitative data were collected through 5 focus group interviews that took place in direct relation to the courses and included a total of 31 participants. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: All occupations showed a similar pattern in terms of increases in self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation after the training. Analysis of the qualitative data showed that training in one's profession and in authentic multiprofessional teams was important factors for motivation. Participating staff described an awareness of undesirable communication barriers in surgical teams that can lead to risks for patients. Systematic training was definitely perceived as a means to reduce barriers and improve communication and collaboration. CONCLUSION: Simulation-based training was equally well received by all professional groups. Our results confirm the feasibility of this type of training for professional teams and promising opportunities for improving teamwork skills. The qualitative data reveal both opportunities and limitations for transferring the learning experiences to the workplace.

Learning aspects and potential pitfalls regarding detection of pulmonary nodules in chest tomosynthesis and proposed related quality criteria.

BACKGROUND: In chest tomosynthesis, low-dose projections collected over a limited angular range are used for reconstruction of an arbitrary number of section images of the chest, resulting in a moderately increased radiation dose compared to chest radiography. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of learning with feedback on the detection of pulmonary nodules for observers with varying experience of chest tomosynthesis, to identify pitfalls regarding detection of pulmonary nodules, and present suggestions for how to avoid them, and to adapt the European quality criteria for chest radiography and computed tomography (CT) to chest tomosynthesis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Six observers analyzed tomosynthesis cases for presence of nodules in a jackknife alternative free-response receiver-operating characteristics (JAFROC) study. CT was used as reference. The same tomosynthesis cases were analyzed before and after learning with feedback, which included a collective learning session. The difference in performance between the two readings was calculated using the JAFROC figure of merit as principal measure of detectability. RESULTS: Significant improvement in performance after learning with feedback was found only for observers inexperienced in tomosynthesis. At the collective learning session, localization of pleural and subpleural nodules or structures was identified as the main difficulty in analyzing tomosynthesis images. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that inexperienced observers can reach a high level of performance regarding nodule detection in tomosynthesis after learning with feedback and that the main problem with chest tomosynthesis is related to the limited depth resolution.

Educating for teamwork--nursing students' coordination in simulated cardiac arrest situations.

AIM: The overarching aim was to explore and describe the communicative modes students employ to coordinate the team in a simulation-based environment designed for resuscitation team training. BACKGROUND: Verbal communication is often considered essential for effective coordination in resuscitation teams and enhancing patient safety. Although simulation is a promising method for improving coordination skills, previous studies have overlooked the necessity of addressing the multifaceted interplay between verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. METHOD: Eighty-one nursing students participated in the study. The data were collected in February and March, 2008. Video recordings from 28 simulated cardiac arrest situations in a nursing programme were analysed. Firstly, all communicative actions were coded and quantified according to content analysis. Secondly, interaction analysis was performed to capture the significance of verbal and non-verbal communication, respectively, in the moment-to-moment coordination of the team. FINDINGS: Three phases of coordination in the resuscitation team were identified: Stating unconsciousness, Preparing for resuscitation, Initiating resuscitation. Coordination of joint assessments and actions in these phases involved a broad range of verbal and non-verbal communication modes that were necessary for achieving mutual understandings of how to continue to the next step in the algorithm. This was accomplished through a complex interplay of taking position, pointing and through verbal statements and directives. CONCLUSION: Simulation-based environments offer a promising solution in nursing education for training the coordination necessary in resuscitation teams as they give the opportunity to practice the complex interplay of verbal and non-verbal communication modes that would otherwise not be possible.

Rediscovering radiology: new technologies and remedial action at the worksite.

This study contributes to social studies of imaging and visualization practices within scientific and medical settings. The focus is on practices in radiology, which are bound up with visual records known as radiographs. The study addresses work following the introduction of a new imaging technology, tomosynthesis. Since it was a novel technology, there was limited knowledge of how to correctly analyse tomosynthesis images. To address this problem, a collective review session was arranged. The purpose of the present study was to uncover the practical work that took place during that session and to show how, and on what basis, new methods, interpretations and understandings were being generated. The analysis displays how the diagnostic work on patients' bodies was grounded in two sets of technologically produced renderings. This shows how expertise is not simply a matter of providing correct explanations, but also involves discovery work in which visual renderings are made transparent. Furthermore, the results point to how the disciplinary knowledge is intertwined with timely actions, which in turn, partly rely on established practices of manipulating and comparing images. The embodied and situated reasoning that enabled radiologists to discern objects in the images thus display expertise as inherently practical and domain-specific.

Correction to: Students' understanding of teamwork and professional roles after interprofessional simulation-a qualitative analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s41077-017-0041-6.].

Students' understanding of teamwork and professional roles after interprofessional simulation-a qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study explores how interprofessional simulation-based education (IPSE) can contribute to a change in students' understanding of teamwork and professional roles. A series of 1-day training sessions was arranged involving undergraduate nursing and medical students. Scenarios were designed for practicing teamwork principles and interprofessional communication skills by endorsing active participation by all team members. METHODS: Four focus groups occurred 2-4 weeks after the training. Thematic analysis of the transcribed focus groups was applied, guided by questions on what changes in students' understanding of teamwork and professional roles were identified and how such changes had been achieved. RESULTS: The first question, aiming to identify changes in students' understanding of teamwork, resulted in three categories: realizing and embracing teamwork fundamentals, reconsidering professional roles, and achieving increased confidence. The second question, regarding how participation in IPSE could support the transformation of students' understanding of teamwork and of professional roles, embraced another three categories: feeling confident in the learning environment, embodying experiences, and obtaining an outside perspective. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the potential of IPSE to transform students' understanding of others' professional roles and responsibilities. Students displayed extensive knowledge on fundamental teamwork principles and what these meant in the midst of participating in the scenarios. A critical prerequisite for the development of these new insights was to feel confident in the learning environment. The significance of how the environment was set up calls for further research on the design of IPSE in influencing role understanding and communicative skills in significant ways.

Method matters: impact of in-scenario instruction on simulation-based teamwork training.

BACKGROUND: The rationale for introducing full-scale patient simulators in training to improve patient safety is to recreate clinical situations in a realistic setting. Although high-fidelity simulators mimic a wide range of human features, simulators differ from the body of a sick patient. The gap between the simulator and the human body implies a need for facilitators to provide information to help participants understand scenarios. The authors aimed at describing different methods that facilitators in our dataset used to provide such extra scenario information and how the different methods to convey information affected how scenarios played out. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to examine the variation of methods to deliver extra scenario information to participants. A multistage approach was employed. The authors selected film clips from a shared database of 31 scenarios from three participating simulation centers. A multidisciplinary research team performed a collaborative analysis of representative film clips focusing on the interplay between participants, facilitators, and the physical environment. After that, the entire material was revisited to further examine and elaborate the initial findings. RESULTS: The material displayed four distinct methods for facilitators to convey information to participants in simulation-based teamwork training. The choice of method had impact on the participating teams regarding flow of work, pace, and team communication. Facilitators' close access to the teams' activities when present in the simulation suite, either embodied or disembodied in the simulation, facilitated the timing for providing information, which was critical for maintaining the flow of activities in the scenario. The mediation of information by a loudspeaker or an earpiece from the adjacent operator room could be disturbing for team communication. CONCLUSIONS: In-scenario instruction is an essential component of simulation-based teamwork training that has been largely overlooked in previous research. The ways in which facilitators convey information about the simulated patient have the potential to shape the simulation activities and thereby serve different learning goals. Although immediate timing to maintain an adequate pace is necessary for professionals to engage in training of medical emergencies, novices may gain from a slower tempo to train complex clinical team tasks systematically.

THE APPLICATION OF IMPROVED, STRUCTURED AND INTERACTIVE GROUP LEARNING METHODS IN DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY.

This study provides an example on how it is possible to design environments in a diagnostic radiology department that could meet learning demands implied by the introduction of new imaging technologies. The innovative aspect of the design does not result from the implementation of any specific tool for learning. Instead, advancement is achieved by a novel set-up of existing technologies and an interactive format that allows for focussed discussions between learners with different levels of expertise. Consequently, the study points to what is seen as the underexplored possibilities of tailoring basic and specialist training that meet the new demands given by leading-edge technologies.

OPTIMISATION OF OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION IN IMAGE-GUIDED INTERVENTIONS: EXPLORING VIDEO RECORDINGS AS A TOOL IN THE PROCESS.

The overall purpose of this work was to explore how video recordings can contribute to the process of optimising occupational radiation protection in image-guided interventions. Video-recorded material from two image-guided interventions was produced and used to investigate to what extent it is conceivable to observe and assess dose-affecting actions in video recordings. Using the recorded material, it was to some extent possible to connect the choice of imaging techniques to the medical events during the procedure and, to a less extent, to connect these technical and medical issues to the occupational exposure. It was possible to identify a relationship between occupational exposure level to staff and positioning and use of shielding. However, detailed values of the dose rates were not possible to observe on the recordings, and the change in occupational exposure level from adjustments of exposure settings was not possible to identify. In conclusion, the use of video recordings is a promising tool to identify dose-affecting instances, allowing for a deeper knowledge of the interdependency between the management of the medical procedure, the applied imaging technology and the occupational exposure level. However, for a full information about the dose-affecting actions, the equipment used and the recording settings have to be thoroughly planned.

Better Management of Patients with Osteoarthritis: Development and Nationwide Implementation of an Evidence-Based Supported Osteoarthritis Self-Management Programme.

BACKGROUND: Information and exercise are core treatments of osteoarthritis. Self-management and coping strategies with the disease are crucial to gain benefits. We developed a supported osteoarthritis self-management programme, delivered by trained physiotherapists, to facilitate patient and healthcare compliance. The programme combined peer- and healthcare professional-delivered information, and individually adapted exercise. METHODS: Physiotherapists were trained to deliver and evaluate the programme. Patient-reported compliance and satisfaction with the programme was assessed at three- and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Data from 20,200 consecutive patients in 320 different care centres in Sweden showed that 97% attended the theory sessions and 83% volunteered for the optional individual exercise programme. The intervention was rated as good or very good by 94% of patients. After three months, 62% reported daily use of what they had learned during the course, and 91% reported weekly use. Corresponding numbers after 12 months were 37% and 72%. CONCLUSIONS: The supported osteoarthritis self-management programme is feasible in clinical practice, and seems useful and acceptable to patients.

Seeing through the dentist's eyes: video-based clinical demonstrations in preclinical dental training.

The clinical demonstration is an established way of bridging the disciplinary content in preclinical and clinical courses. In dentistry, however, clinical demonstrations have often been perceived as less rewarding due to the restricted visual access to the details of the treatment. This study investigated a course in endodontics at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in which traditional clinical demonstrations were replaced by instructor-led seminars that enabled students to follow and discuss broadcasted root canal treatments. Two cameras provided overviews of the operating room, whereas a third camera attached to a surgical microscope offered a magnified view of procedures carried out in the inner parts of teeth. The hypothesis was that this arrangement would increase the students' sense of the clinical relevance of basic scientific knowledge. Two focus group interviews were designed to explore the students' perceptions of this change. The students expressed that the video-based seminars offered ample opportunities to integrate theoretical and clinical understanding. The major reasons were that the visualization displayed procedures on a sufficiently detailed level; instructors demonstrated clinical reasoning in situ and provided the context necessary for understanding procedures; and the interactive format encouraged discussions on the generalizability of knowledge beyond the specific case.

The relationship between facilitators' questions and the level of reflection in postsimulation debriefing.

INTRODUCTION: Simulation-based education is a learner-active method that may enhance teamwork skills such as leadership and communication. The importance of postsimulation debriefing to promote reflection is well accepted, but many questions concerning whether and how faculty promote reflection remain largely unanswered in the research literature. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the depth of reflection expressed in questions by facilitators and responses from nursing students during postsimulation debriefings. METHODS: Eighty-one nursing students and 4 facilitators participated. The data were collected in February and March 2008, the analysis being conducted on 24 video-recorded debriefings from simulated resuscitation teamwork involving nursing students only. Using Gibbs' reflective cycle, we graded the facilitators' questions and nursing students' responses into stages of reflection and then correlated these. RESULTS: Facilitators asked most evaluative and fewest emotional questions, whereas nursing students answered most evaluative and analytic responses and fewest emotional responses. The greatest difference between facilitators and nursing students was in the analytic stage. Only 23 (20%) of 117 questions asked by the facilitators were analytic, whereas 45 (35%) of 130 students' responses were rated as analytic. Nevertheless, the facilitators' descriptive questions also elicited student responses in other stages such as evaluative and analytic responses. CONCLUSION: We found that postsimulation debriefings provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their simulation experience. Still, if the debriefing is going to pave the way for student reflection, it is necessary to work further on structuring the debriefing to facilitate deeper reflection. Furthermore, it is important that facilitators consider what kind of questions they ask to promote reflection. We think future research on debriefing should focus on developing an analytical framework for grading reflective questions. Such research will inform and support facilitators in devising strategies for the promotion of learning through reflection in postsimulation debriefings.

Young carers as co-designers of a web-based support system: the views of two publics.

AIM: The aim of the study was to reveal young carers' views of design of a web-based support system (WBSS) directed to them and the differences between their views and the views of project representatives (PRs), in a participatory design process. METHODS: Eight young people, 17-24 years, were involved in either a work or a test group. The work group participated in video-recorded design meetings with representatives of the project. Content analysis and Dewey's concept of public were applied on the data. The test group worked from their homes and data were collected via test forms and used as supplemental data. RESULTS: Four themes were revealed, constituting key parts in the design of the WBSS: Communicating the message, Ideational working principles, User interaction and User interface. Furthermore, decisive differences between the views of participants and PRs were found. CONCLUSION: The four key parts should be considered in a WBSS directed to young carers. The study also suggests that early user involvement and critical reflection in the design process itself may be crucial to discern differences in perspective between designers and users.

A comparative study of defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance during simulated cardiac arrest in nursing student teams.

BACKGROUND: Although nurses must be able to respond quickly and effectively to cardiac arrest, numerous studies have demonstrated poor performance. Simulation is a promising learning tool for resuscitation team training but there are few studies that examine simulation for training defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (D-CPR) in teams from the nursing education perspective. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which nursing student teams follow the D-CPR-algorithm in a simulated cardiac arrest, and if observing a simulated cardiac arrest scenario and participating in the post simulation debriefing would improve team performance. METHODS: We studied video-recorded simulations of D-CPR performance in 28 nursing student teams. Besides describing the overall performance of D-CPR, we compared D-CPR performance in two groups. Group A (n = 14) performed D-CPR in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario, while Group B (n = 14) performed D-CPR after first observing performance of Group A and participating in the debriefing. We developed a D-CPR checklist to assess team performance. RESULTS: Overall there were large variations in how accurately the nursing student teams performed the specific parts of the D-CPR algorithm. While few teams performed opening the airways and examination of breathing correctly, all teams used a 30:2 compression: ventilation ratio.We found no difference between Group A and Group B in D-CPR performance, either in regard to total points on the check list or to time variables. CONCLUSION: We found that none of the nursing student teams achieved top scores on the D-CPR-checklist. Observing the training of other teams did not increase subsequent performance. We think all this indicates that more time must be assigned for repetitive practice and reflection. Moreover, the most important aspects of D-CPR, such as early defibrillation and hands-off time in relation to shock, must be highlighted in team-training of nursing students.

Electronic patient records in action: Transforming information into professionally relevant knowledge.

The implementation of generic models for organizing information in complex institutions like those in healthcare creates a gap between standardization and the need for locally relevant knowledge. The present study addresses how this gap can be bridged by focusing on the practical work of healthcare staff in transforming information in EPRs into knowledge that is useful for everyday work. Video recording of shift handovers on a rehabilitation ward serves as the empirical case. The results show how extensive selections and reorganizations of information in EPRs are carried out in order to transform information into professionally relevant accounts. We argue that knowledge about the institutional obligations and professional ways of construing information are fundamental for these transitions. The findings point to the need to consider the role of professional knowledge inherent in unpacking information in efforts to develop information systems intended to bridge between institutional and professional boundaries in healthcare.