Identifying Technical Procedures in Pulmonary Medicine That Should Be Integrated in a Simulation-Based Curriculum: A National General Needs Assessment.
BACKGROUND
Simulation training is a revolutionary addition to health care education. However, developing simulation-based training programs is often dictated by those simulators that are commercially available. Curriculum development requires deliberate planning and a standardized approach, including a 'general needs assessment'.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to perform a national general needs assessment to identify technical procedures in pulmonary medicine that should be integrated in a simulation-based curriculum.


METHODS
A three-round Delphi process was initiated among 62 key opinion leaders. Round 1 was an open-ended question to identify technical procedures pulmonologists should learn. Round 2 was a survey using a newly developed needs assessment formula to explore the frequency of procedures, number of operators, risk or discomfort when performed by an inexperienced doctor, and feasibility of simulation-based training. In round 3, results were reviewed and ranked according to priority.


RESULTS
The response rates for the three rounds were 74, 63, and 60%, respectively. The Delphi process reduced the 30 procedures identified in round 1 to 11 prioritized technical procedures in round 3. These were: flexible bronchoscopy, pleurocentesis, endobronchial ultrasound, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration, noninvasive ventilation treatment, transthoracic biopsy of pleural or lung tumor, focused ultrasound scanning of the lungs, chest tube insertion, needle biopsy of visible lymph node/tumor of the skin, focused ultrasound scanning of the heart, and thoracoscopy.


CONCLUSIONS
We performed a Delphi study using a needs assessment formula, which identified 11 technical procedures that are highly suitable for simulation-based training. Medical educators can use this list as a resource in planning simulation-based training programs for trainees in pulmonary medicine.
Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation, University of Copenhagen and The Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Leizl Joy
LJ
Nayahangan
Paul Frost
PF
Clementsen
Charlotte
C
Paltved
Karen Gilboe
KG
Lindorff-Larsen
Bjørn Ulrik
BU
Nielsen
Lars
L
Konge
D003697:Delphi Technique; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015272:Pulmonary Medicine / Q000193:education*; D000066908:Simulation Training