Designing and delivering non-technical skills simulation based education in regional anaesthesia

Abstract

In the last decade there has been rising interest in non-technical skills (NTS) in anaesthetic practice. These set of skills are important to maintain the efficiency of a working team and deliver high quality service. Despite the importance of the NTS, its role has not been adequately emphasised in regional anaesthesia teaching curricula. In an attempt to introduce the anaesthetic trainee to NTS in regional anaesthesia, we designed a simulation based teaching session, using both actor and high fidelity mannequin simulation. Methods: The designed simulation consisted of 4 stations. They incorporated task management, teamworking, situation awareness and decision making to assess anaesthetists' NTS. Two involved an actor, which included consenting an anxious patient for regional block and interviewing a patient with suspected nerve injury. The mannequin based simulation involved preparation, communication and ergonomics while performing regional anaesthesia, followed by critical incident. Each session was led by a trainee and feedback on performance given afterwards. Results: Through formal survey, the trainees highly valued the teaching session and the use of different styles of simulation. They felt it touched on important aspect of their daily practice which is rarely covered in formal teaching. Conclusions: We believe there is a room for improvement. For example introducing remote video recording for better reflective learning and more stations to enrich the educational experience.