title: From bricks to buildings: adapting the Medical Research Council framework to develop programs of research in simulation education and training for the health professions.
abstract: Presently, health care simulation research is largely conducted on a study-by-study basis. Although such "project-based" research generates a plethora of evidence, it can be chaotic and contradictory. A move toward sustained, thematic, theory-based programs of research is necessary to advance knowledge in the field. Recognizing that simulation is a complex intervention, we present a framework for developing research programs in simulation-based education adapted from the Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance. This framework calls for an iterative approach to developing, refining, evaluating, and implementing simulation interventions. The adapted framework guidance emphasizes: (1) identification of theory and existing evidence; (2) modeling and piloting interventions to clarify active ingredients and identify mechanisms linking the context, intervention, and outcomes; and (3) evaluation of intervention processes and outcomes in both the laboratory and real-world setting. The proposed framework will aid simulation researchers in developing more robust interventions that optimize simulation-based education and advance our understanding of simulation pedagogy.
authors.affiliation: From the SickKids Learning Institute (F.A.H., A.D.), Hospital for Sick Children; The Wilson Centre (F.A.H., A.D.), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; and Collaborative Undergraduate Nursing Program (C.D.S.), George Brown and Centennial College, Ryerson University, Toronto; and Division of Clinical Neurological Sciences (F.A.H.), Department of Neurosurgery, Western University, London, Ontario; and Discipline of Emergency Medicine (A.D.), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada; and Department of Public and International Affairs (D.T.D.), College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
authors.forename: Faizal A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Haji
authors.forename: Celina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Da Silva
authors.forename: Delton T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Daigle
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dubrowski
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation / Q000639:trends*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D016730:Program Development