Immersive simulation approach in designing the first prone position ventilation course for trauma critical care and emergency medicine cases

Background: The prone ventilation technique has been newly adopted by HMC (Hamad Medical Corporation). The literature has revealed the effectiveness of the prone position technique to improve ventilation and oxygenation in traumatic and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) cases . The prone ventilation technique is a step before deciding a higher medical escalation . There were only a few trained and competent trauma critical care nurses on the prone ventilation technique within HMC, and the frequency of this procedure was increasing in the critical care trauma settings. The need arose to train more health professionals on prone position ventilation technique. A one-day prone position ventilation educational course was designed incorporating the immersive simulation approach (case based –high fidelity simulation). Methods: In March 2018 HMC critical care and trauma leadership decided to design a course on prone position ventilation technique. The course curriculum was designed to incorporate high fidelity immersive simulation training. A skills assessment checklist was designed. Two case based simulation scenarios were developed, and to be followed by debriefing sessions . A retrospective explorative survey was conducted for 100 nurses to evaluate the effectiveness of the course design. Results: Applying the immersive simulation in the prone ventilation course was effective as an interactive and dynamic learning and teaching method (). Furthermore, there was significant improvement in the skills and knowledge of HMC trauma nurses regarding the prone position ventilation technique (). Learning through reflection and debriefing was an effective approach for deep learning and knowledge retention. Discussion & conclusion: Having trained and competent healthcare practitioners on prone position ventilation is important to maintain patient safety and to improve patient outcomes. Applying case based immersive simulation is an effective method for prone position education. The high fidelity immersive simulation enhances the dynamic learner's engagement and reflective learning.