Video review in simulation-based education: Perception and experience of participants

Background Simulation debriefing plays an important role in knowledge synthesis. Although there is evidence at least in nursing simulations, to suggest that video assisted debriefing improves outcomes, there is a wide variability in the practice and perceived effectiveness of video assisted debriefing. There is a paucity of literature about participants’ perspectives on the use of video review for simulation debriefing. The aim of this study is to explore participants’ perceptions and experience of the use of video review post simulation as a debriefing tool. Methods The study received ethical approval from the ethics committee at Anglia Ruskin University. We used a qualitative research methodology to answer our research question. Foundation year (FY) trainees attending simulation as part of the curriculum were included in the study. This study involved focus group interviews with simulation participants prior to their simulation-based education. Post simulation practice, participants reviewed their simulation video clip in their in own time and filled in a structured qualitative questionnaire about their video review experience. The audio recording of interviews and the questionnaire were pseudonymised and analysed using inductive thematic content analysis. Results Data was collected from 16 foundation doctors over a period of 4 months from February to May 2023 at a teaching hospital in the UK. Important themes identified were emotional aspects of watching their video, the learning opportunities available with video review, level of support needed for video review and ideal time to review the video. Unexpected emergent themes included foundation doctors’ views about simulation education, reflective practice post simulation and peer pressure during simulation. Conclusion This study explored foundation trainees’ perceptions (cognitive, kinetic, and affective) about video review after simulation and several interesting themes were identified. We believe this study adds value to simulation education in helping to understand foundation doctors’ perceptions on video review.