Donna Mendez
University of Texas Health Science Center, USA
Title: The effect of simulation wars on emergency medicine residents’ reasoning skills
Biography
Biography: Donna Mendez
Abstract
Background: Simulation Wars, a clinical reasoning simulation, has rarely been incorporated into resident curriculum, but when
included has been shown to improve clinical reasoning skills.
Objective: To study the effect of Simulation Wars on in-training examination (ITE) scores and global rating scale (GRS) scores in
emergency medicine (EM) residents.
Methods: The quasi-experimental design was used in this retrospective study. The main comparison was with historical controls and the intervention group, who participated in the Simulation Wars.
Results: There was a total of 127 residents in this study (70 intervention, 57 control). There was no significant difference found in GRS scores except for communication and professionalism (p<.001). There was a significant (p=.02) improvement in ITE scores in the category of thoracic disorders in first year residents who participated in that category; a significant improvement in the abdominal ITE scores for second year residents who participated in that category (p=.008); and a significant (p=.01) improvement in the ITE scores in trauma for third year residents who participated in that category. Participation in Simulation Wars showed a significant improvement from first to third year and from first year to second year of residency for OBGyn and trauma.
Conclusion: Simulation Wars did not improve overall GRS scores nor ITE scores when compared to controls. Simulation wars in such subcategories of abdominal, thoracic, OBGyn and trauma improved ITE scores in those subcategories. Simulation Wars should be considered for EM residents.