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BackgroundThe Covid-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges to the NHS and medical education 1 After a period of several months during the pandemic when no simulation-based education was delivered in our paediatric department, we wished to explore a safe way to reintroduce it We wanted to ensure a multidisciplinary approach and ensure that staff who were shielding could participate With these requirements in mind, we devised a programme of in-situ simulation which was also streamed via Webex, an online meeting platform Summary of WorkBetween May and July 2020 we ran seven low fidelity in-situ simulation sessions based on both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 related topics The aim was primarily to improve teamwork and communication between staff wearing personal protective equipment, and secondarily to improve clinical knowledge of aerosol-generating procedures and important paediatric emergencies We used a basic manikin with a remote-controlled simulated patient monitor Staff joining the session on Webex could see and hear both the scenario and debrief and were able to ask questions at the end of each session A debrief led by trained staff was held immediately after each scenario Feedback was collected from both participants and observers after every session via a survey and was used to inform subsequent sessions Summary of Results20 nursing staff and 20 medical staff physically participated in scenarios 4/7 sessions were streamed via Webex Of the sessions not streamed, two did not have participant consent and one lacked equipment The number of participants joining each session via Webex ranged from 11 to 26 Across all seven sessions, 100% (27/27) of staff providing feedback thought the faculty, session content, and debriefs were good or excellent 78% (21/27) thought the standard of technology and equipment was good or excellent, 22% (6/27) thought it was average The main issue cited was poor sound quality for Webex participants Communication, team work and clinical knowledge were cited as learning points in all sessions Discussion and ConclusionsIt has been possible to deliver a safe, accessible, multidisciplinary in-situ paediatric simulation programme during the Covid-19 pandemic While feedback was largely positive, it must be noted that the response rate was generally poor, averaging 39% (range 0 – 100%) RecommendationsThe main difficulty encountered was balancing a safe psychological environment, the key determinant of learning in simulation,2 with access to simulation-based education for shielding staff Further research is required on the impact of streaming sessions on learning ReferencesYuen J, Xie F Medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic: perspectives from UK trainees Postgrad Med J 2020;96:432–33 Rudolph JW, Raemer DB, Simonn R Establishing a safe container for learning in simulation: the role of the presimulation briefing Simul Healthc 2014;9:339–49
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