Evaluation of acquisition and retention of non-technical skills of residents submitted to interprofessional simulation-based training in pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the acquisition and retention of non-technical skills by pediatric residents who participated in an interprofessional simulated pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation scenario through simulation-based training.

METHOD

This prospective cohort study was conducted at a simulation center of a Pediatric Hospital. Ninety-six residents of pediatrics and nursing were divided into 16 interprofessional teams and participated in a cardiopulmonary resuscitation simulated scenario followed by a debriefing session. It was conducted twice on the same day and repeated after a period of time that ranged from 107 to 161 days. Groups were evaluated for the acquisition and retention of non-technical skills and global non-technical performance through a valid and reliable tool for measuring teamwork in medical emergencies.

RESULTS

Participants demonstrated an improvement in leadership, teamwork, task management, and overall performance of the team after the first intervention. However, when evaluated during the second intervention, retention of leadership and teamwork were noted, but not for task management and overall performance.

CONCLUSION

Learning non-technical skills is complex and requires training, ideally with short periodicity, since it demands frequent practice for its acquisition and retention. The present research showed that non-technical skills can be acquired through simulation-based training. However, it was noted that the retention of these skills is more complex, requiring repeated simulations over a longer period of time. Therefore, further research on the learning curve, time to acquisition, and retention of non-technical skills trained with simulation-based education is warranted.