Simulation training can significantly improve the ability to manage operating room (OR) fires, according to results from a randomized trial. You never want your first experience of an OR catastrophe to be in the operating room, with a patient’s life on the line,” said Dr. Bailey Su from NorthShore University Health System, in Evanston, Illinois, and the University of Chicago.”Practicing these catastrophic scenarios in a simulation center is imperative to ensuring patient safety,”they told Reuters Health by email.
Ranking them as the third
More than 500 OR fires are reported annually, ranking them as the third-most dangerous technology-related hazard occurring in hospitals, Dr. Su and colleagues note in The American Journal of Surgery, online March 4. Successful resolution of an OR fire requires all team members to work simultaneously to perform tasks for which they are responsible, they add.
After all simulation exercises and didactic sessions were complete, Critical Action Assessment scores were significantly higher in the simulation group than in the group receiving didactic training only for fire recognition and communication, identifying and controlling the ignition source, removing burning items from the patient, and extinguishing the fire. Total scores were also higher for the simulation group than for the didactic-only group.
The overall time for the simulation group improve significantly from the first simulation (mean, 64 seconds) to the second simulation (mean, 15 seconds). Surveys after the completion of training show significant improvement in total confidence scores in both groups, but overall confidence levels did not differ significantly between the groups.
Among the 62% of participants who completed a retention quiz three to six months after the study was complete, one of nine questions was answered correctly significantly more often by the simulation group (83.3%) than by the didactic training only group (53.3%); the question address the appropriate immediate action sequence for a fire occurring in the surgical field. Most participants overall (93%) indicated that they would like to engage in future simulations.
Additional cost was the fog machine
“For this simulation specifically, the only additional cost was the fog machine (about $50),” Dr. Su said. “They already have the OR set up, lab technologists, and manikin in their hospital-based simulation lab. The Sim Man costs about $10,000, but is not absolutely necessary for this scenario. While it makes the situation feel more life-like, stretching fake skin over a basin and covering it with drapes would be sufficient.
They are lucky to have such an advance simulation center where vital signs; anesthesia equipment, and operating instruments can all be replicate to make the scenario feel as realistic as possible. The more realistic a simulation, the more benefit participants will have,” said Dr. Jones, who was not involve in the study. This facility possesses two complete Operating Rooms utilize for simulation which is relatively rare even within academic surgical centers. This serves as a massive barrier to realistic simulation.
However, virtual-reality simulation is emerging as a viable alternative for those who do not have a Sim Center nearby. To bridge this gap and include the entire operating team in review of the hazards of energy devices and fires; the SAGES FUSE Committee is working on a Hospital Compliance module to offer medical systems; so that desire additional training and certification,” they said.