The Impact of High-Fidelity Medical Simulation on the Effectiveness of Teaching Basic Procedures in Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, and Emergency Medicine Among Medical Students

PURPOSE The COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to find alternative methods of teaching anesthesiology, intensive care and emergency medicine to medical students. Currently, few works are investigating that subject. Furthermore, the available studies do not evaluate objective parameters but are analyses of subjective questionnaires.

Methods The study group comprised 240 4th-6th-year medicine students. The theoretical knowledge (MCQ) and practical skills (OSCE) levels were measured twice – before and after class. First, a standardized survey and standard high-fidelity simulator software – SimMan 3G were applied, measuring depth, compression frequency, relaxation time, and percentage of correct compressions. Then these data were statistically processed.

RESULTS Simulation classes improved all students’ knowledge by an average of 20%, whereas measured skills by an average of 20.75%. The parameter that improved the most was the depth of chest compressions: women increased by 0.8 cm with an average of 3.4 cm in the first trial and men by 0.7 cm (4.0 cm in the first attempt). Moreover, compressions depth in the first trial was statistically lower among females. Additionally, the compression depth or the frequency should increase to improve the correct compressions percentage. Using simulator contributed to achieving the correct relaxation time in all subjects by shortening or lengthening it.

CONCLUSIONS Students registered development both in knowledge and skills within anaesthesiology, intensive care and emergency medicine by using high-fidelity simulators.