Telesimulation in Medical Education for High-Acuity Low-Occurrence Procedures and Clinical Encounters for Physicians and Medical Trainees in Emergency Medicine: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND

Proficiency in high-acuity low-occurrence (HALO) procedures and clinical encounters is crucial for physicians and medical trainees in emergency medicine. Simulation-based medical education (SBME) provides valuable learning opportunities for these skills. However, accessing SBME can be challenging. Remotely delivered SBME, known as telesimulation, can enhance access to such training, especially in remote locations.

OBJECTIVE

Based on this review, the research team aims to evaluate the effectiveness of telesimulation in enhancing learning outcomes of HALO procedures and clinical encounters in emergency medicine.

METHODS

A systematic review will be conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane, focusing on studies published in English from 2011 to the present. The inclusion criteria are emergency physicians and medical trainees as learners; telesimulation sessions where the adequate performance of the procedure or clinical encounter, retention of information, or user feedback after implementing telesimulation were assessed; and original research in the form of a randomized controlled trial or nonrandomized experiments with an intervention and control group and pre- and posttest design. The exclusion criterion is defined as any study that does not fully meet the inclusion criteria. The primary outcome is the effectiveness of telesimulation in enhancing learning outcomes for HALO procedures and clinical encounters for physicians and medical trainees in emergency medicine. The secondary outcomes are the effectiveness of telesimulation for these procedures and clinical encounters delivered asynchronously and synchronously for physicians and medical trainees in emergency medicine. At least two reviewers will conduct data extraction and quality assessment. The primary and secondary outcomes will be analyzed through a systematic narrative synthesis. The methodological quality of comparative studies will be assessed using the Downs and Black checklist. The interrater reliability among the authors will be analyzed with Cohen κ.

RESULTS

This project was funded in the summers of 2022 and 2023 by two Summer Undergraduate Research Awards from the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty of Medicine. The literature search and screening will begin in April 2025, and the results of the systematic review will be available in the summer of 2026.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the systematic review could inform the development of research on telesimulation for HALO procedures in emergency medicine. By investigating this topic, more effective telesimulation sessions can be designed in the future, potentially enhancing the skills of physicians and medical trainees.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/53565.