Comparing the Effectiveness of Role-Play Simulation versus Real Patient Transferal Skills Training in Occupational Therapy Students in Saudi-Arabia- A Quasi-Experimental Study

Purpose

To compare the effectiveness of using role-play simulation as a possible alternative to real-patient training to teach transferal skills to occupational therapy students.

Patients and Methods

Seventy-one occupational therapy students (including those in their second, third and fourth years) participated in a quasi-experimental study. The students were randomly divided into two groups. One group received role-play simulation at the university. The other received training on real patients with mild to moderate stroke and spinal cord injury (one session/week for six weeks) in clinical (inpatient) settings in Jeddah to learn patient transferring skills. Student performance was taken as a measure of teaching method effectiveness, and was evaluated by using a validated OSCE-type assessment tool developed at the end of training. The tool showed good reliability (Cronbach's α was > 0.7) and inter-reliability (Kappa < 0.001).

Results

A total number of 71 students participated in the study. The majority of the students were female (66.2%, N=47) and 33.8% (N=24) were male. About 33.8% (N=24) of students were in the second year, 29.6% (N=21) were in the third year and 36.6% (N=26) were in the fourth year. There were 36 (49.3%) students in the simulation group The mean age of the students was 20.70 (SD=1.2). There was no significant difference in the students' performance in both groups with a P-value of 0.139.

Conclusion

Role-play simulation can effectively be used for students' training as there was no difference in the outcome of the students' performance in patient transferring skills in both groups. This finding can help in designing and implementing training through simulation, especially in situations where training on severely ill patients may be a safety risk.

Medical Education in the Context of the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Professional Development Activity of Health Professionals

Background

The development and maintenance of a high-quality medical education workforce depend on continuing medical education (CME). Traditionally, CME is delivered face-to-face, but due to COVID-19 and geographical distances, it is challenging to conduct professional development activities for several days. Using a webinar on advancement in medical education in the context of the eastern Mediterranean, we aimed to assess the participants' perspectives towards the professional development activity using a synchronous learning approach.

Methods

We used a cross-sectional survey-based study design. We invited faculty members from King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and United Arab Emirates University for Health Sciences (UAEU). We assessed their perspectives on the relevance of the content and effectiveness of the activity on their knowledge and skills after the two days' webinar series. A self-designed questionnaire was administered post-webinar immediately. Open-ended responses were analyzed thematically.

Results

One hundred thirty-six registered healthcare professionals attended day 1, and 97 registered participants joined on the second day of the webinar. Most participants appreciated the diversity of the contents, the quality of the presentations, and the expertise of the facilitators. They reported that the content optimized their knowledge and understanding of new concepts such as assessment in simulation teaching, programmatic assessment, insight into the implementation of IPE and EPAs in CBME, and so on. The e-learning platform's user accessibility, online tutor interaction, and the addition of more scenario-based case studies were all recommended for improvement.

Conclusion

Overall the two days webinar series presentations were informative and highlighted the transformation in medical practices. Suggestions to improve the quality of the webinars and content were discussed.