International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background:

COVID-19 created pressure on healthcare institutions to quickly prepare for maximum capacities. To meet the critical care capacity challenges, non-critical care nurses and overseas short-term temporary contracted nurses needed to be urgently deployed to the critical care units. That quick deployment and recruitment process raised concern about competence and patient safety; therefore, the deployed nurses were upskilled using fast track simulation-based education (SBE). SBE is an effective method to manage quick, focussed upskilling training, helping to improve patient care and safety ^[1].

Aim:

The aim of the study was to explore the effectiveness of the COVID-19 SBE upskilling program on perceived satisfaction, confidence and competence of deployed nurses.

Method:

Upskilling of 1200 non-critical care nurses was conducted using SBE between 14 March and 1 June 2021 during the country’s second wave of COVID-19. Training consisted of completing a mandatory 2-hour online critical care introductory module that included information on COVID-19 (the disease, pathophysiology), the critical care environment, critical care scope of service and infection control strategies. The online module was followed by 4 hours of in-person SBE using a demonstration and return demonstration approach. Considering the urgency of the situation and time constraints, skills were selected and prioritized according to patient safety and included care of the patient receiving mechanical ventilation, invasive line monitoring and care, recognition of deterioration, proning, and assessment of patient response to interventions. Post SBE, a survey was administered to collect data on the perceived satisfaction, confidence and competence of the nurses being deployed.

Results:

The majority of the nurses reported confidence in their new skills (97%), while 96% perceived themselves as competent after successful completion of SBEs. The nurses were highly satisfied with the training effectiveness (92%), and 99% believed that they were able to successfully achieve the learning objectives. Specifics about perceived competence and confidence per survey item will be reported in the presentation. The SBE upskilling programme was evaluated as an effective way to learn how to manage critically ill patients.

Implications for practice:

Nurses perceived themselves as confident and competent after participating in SBE. However, competence confirmation will be evaluated either in further SBE or through actual competency assessment in the clinical setting by trained competency validators. Nurses could perceive themselves as confident and competent but still perform incorrectly. Fast track SBEs should not be used to confirm full competence due to the inability to provide repetition of skills practice.