title: A randomized controlled study of manikin simulator fidelity on neonatal resuscitation program learning outcomes.
abstract: The neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) has been developed to educate physicians and other health care providers about newborn resuscitation and has been shown to improve neonatal resuscitation skills. Simulation-based training is recommended as an effective modality for instructing neonatal resuscitation and both low and high-fidelity manikin simulators are used. There is limited research that has compared the effect of low and high-fidelity manikin simulators for NRP learning outcomes, and more specifically on teamwork performance and confidence. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of using low versus high-fidelity manikin simulators in NRP instruction. A randomized posttest-only control group study design was conducted. Third year undergraduate medical students participated in NRP instruction and were assigned to an experimental group (high-fidelity manikin simulator) or control group (low-fidelity manikin simulator). Integrated skills station (megacode) performance, participant satisfaction, confidence and teamwork behaviour scores were compared between the study groups. Participants in the high-fidelity manikin simulator instructional group reported significantly higher total scores in overall satisfaction (p = 0.001) and confidence (p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in teamwork behaviour scores, as observed by two independent raters, nor differences on mandatory integrated skills station performance items at the p < 0.05 level. Medical students' reported greater satisfaction and confidence with high-fidelity manikin simulators, but did not demonstrate overall significantly improved teamwork or integrated skills station performance. Low and high-fidelity manikin simulators facilitate similar levels of objectively measured NRP outcomes for integrated skills station and teamwork performance.
authors.affiliation: Room # 2901, Centre for Collaborative Health Professional Education, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada, vcurran@mun.ca.
authors.forename: Vernon
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Curran
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fleet
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bessell
authors.forename: Akhil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deshpandey
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drover
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayward
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valcour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008348:Manikins; D009359:Neonatology / Q000193:education*; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000193:education*