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A study to investigate the effectiveness of SimMan® as an adjunct in teaching preclinical skills to medical students

Swamy, M.; Sawdon, M.; Chaytor, A.; Barbaro-Brown, J.; McLachlan, J.

A study to investigate the effectiveness of SimMan® as an adjunct in teaching preclinical skills to medical students Thumbnail


Authors

M. Swamy

M. Sawdon

A. Chaytor

J. Barbaro-Brown

J. McLachlan



Abstract

Background: Following the GMC’s report on Tomorrow’s Doctors, greater emphasis has been placed on training in clinical skills, and the integration of clinical and basic sciences within the curriculum to promote the development of effective doctors. The use of simulation in the learning environment has the potential to support the development of clinical skills in preclinical medical students whilst in a ‘safe’ environment, but currently there is little evidence on its effectiveness. Methods: Seventy nine year one medical students were divided into two groups. A pre-test was conducted by both groups, after which one group performed chest examination on their peers whilst the other group examined the SimMan® manikin. Both groups subsequently performed a mid-test and crossed over so that the group that conducted peer examination examined the manikin and vice-versa. Finally a post-test was conducted. The students were scored for formative feedback whilst performing examinations. Students completed a feedback questionnaire at the end of the session. Data were analysed using a one-way ANOVA, independent t-test and 2- proportion Z test. Results: When the two groups were compared, there was no significant difference in their pre-test and post-test knowledge scores, whereas mid-test knowledge scores increased significantly (P < 0.001), with the group using SimMan® initially scoring higher. A significant increase in the test scores was seen in both groups after using SimMan® (P < 0.001). Students’ confidence increased significantly in differentiating between normal and abnormal signs (P < 0.001). Students highly valued the use of the manikin in the session with 96% of students reporting that it enhanced their learning experience. Conclusions: The study demonstrated a significant improvement in the students’ knowledge after examining the manikin and students also reported an increase in their confidence. Students’ feedback was generally very positive and they perceived the incorporation of manikin-based examinations useful to prepare them for future patient contact. The use of simulation in this context supports an integrated learning approach when used as an adjunct to peer examination, and can benefit the acquisition of clinical skills in preclinical medical students.

Citation

Swamy, M., Sawdon, M., Chaytor, A., Barbaro-Brown, J., & McLachlan, J. (2014). A study to investigate the effectiveness of SimMan® as an adjunct in teaching preclinical skills to medical students. BMC Medical Education, 14, https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-14-231

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 19, 2014
Publication Date Nov 19, 2014
Deposit Date Sep 11, 2014
Publicly Available Date Aug 26, 2015
Journal BMC Medical Education
Electronic ISSN 1472-6920
Publisher BioMed Central
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 14
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-14-231
Keywords Clinical skills, SimMan®, Preclinical medical students.
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1445501

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
© 2014 Swamy et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.




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