Learning From Errors During Simulation-based Ultrasound Training

Rigshospitalet

Status: Completed

Conditions: Simulation-based Ultrasound Training, Error-management Training, Training With Errors, Skills Transfer

Treatments: Procedure: Error-management training vs error-avoidance training. Defined by training instructions.

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02369640

H-4-2015-FSP

Details and patient eligibility

About

During the past decades, simulation-based training has become essential for making trainees fit for clinical practice. Traditionally, trainees are instructed to practice with as few errors as possible during simulation-based training. However, recent evidence from the field of psychology suggests that transfer of learning may improve if trainees are encouraged to commit errors during training. The aim of this study is to assess on performances with real patients the effect of error-management instructions compared to error-avoidance instructions during simulation-based virtual reality ultrasound training.

This study is planned as a randomized controlled trial. Participants include medical students with no prior simulation practice at the fifth or sixth year of medical school. All participants receive 3 hours simulation-based ultrasound training focusing on fetal weight estimation. The participants (N=60) are randomized into two groups: Participants in group 1 are instructed to follow the simulator program step-by-step to achieve the highest possible simulator metric scores by making as few errors as possible. Participants in group 2 are instructed to experiment and explore and to deliberately make errors during training. A simulation-based pre- and post-test is administered before and after training.

Participants are scheduled to perform a transfer test seven to ten days after simulation training. The transfer test consists of fetal weight estimation on a real patient. The primary outcome is weight deviation of participant measurements compared to expert findings. Secondary outcomes include performance assessments of pre-, post- and transfer test performances by blinded ultrasound experts using the Objective Structured Assessment of Ultrasound Skills (OSAUS) scale. Using an alpha level of 0.05, an effect size of 0.80, and a power of 0.80, 25 participants are needed in the two study groups. Loss to follow-up of up to 20% of study participants is anticipated, resulting in 30 participants in each study group.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• are enrolled during the fifth or sixth year of medical school
• provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• have clinical or simulator ultrasound experience

Trial design

60 participants in 2 patient groups

Error-avoidance training

Experimental group

Description:

Study group 1: Error-avoidance training (Focusing on achieving the highest possible metrics score by avoiding errors).

Treatment:

Procedure: Error-management training vs error-avoidance training. Defined by training instructions.

Error-management training

Experimental group

Description:

Study group 2: Error-management training (Focusing on making errors and thinking of them in a positive way).

Treatment:

Procedure: Error-management training vs error-avoidance training. Defined by training instructions.