Scale-up the Introduction of Simulation Into Four New Health Professional Training Institutions in East and West Africa (Sim-II)

Scale-up and Introduction of Simulation Into Four New Health Professional Training Institutions in East and West Africa and the Factors That Influence Simulation Adoption at These Sites

Simulation based learning practice is limited in Sub-Saharan Africa. Experiences gained from our prior implementation in Phase I of this program show that simulation is feasible and significantly contributes to learning. However, the growth and sustainability of simulation methodologies in health training and service delivery institutions is subject to variability and institution specific factors. These factors may include but are not limited to ease of adoption of new technologies, human resources, space and institutional culture. These factors are likely to vary widely in Sub-Saharan Africa across countries and institutions.

It's not known how institutional factors will influence the introduction, adoption and sustainability of simulation methodologies in East and West African health training and service delivery institutions. We have partnered with four institutions in East and West Africa (in Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria) to learn about the process of introduction and scaling of simulation based learning in new frontiers.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Simulation-based Learning
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Simulation based learning

Detailed Description

The investigators in this proposal have partnered and propose to expand Simulation Based Learning to Lira University in northern Uganda, Busitema University in Eastern Uganda, the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS), Tanzania and University of Jos in Nigeria. All these health training and service institutions serve large rural and peri-urban populations with poor access to health care.

The investigators will engage the partners in the co-design of implementation plans to design solutions for the barriers to implementation that are anticipated, and ensure appropriate tailoring to the local context. The investigators will use a Train of trainers (ToT) Faculty development model and this will include web-based debrief mentorship using recorded debriefing sessions from real simulations at partner sites. These videos will be loaded onto a centralization server to facilitate peer-to-peer feedback using a quality of debriefing framework.

Based on the investigators' learning experience from Phase I of implementation, the team aims to develop two categories of simulation facilitators: 1) Simulation implementation faculty (SiF) and 2) Lead simulation faculty. Lead simulation faculty (LsF) will be trained at the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) simulation center of excellence and will receive support in assessing their sites' barriers and facilitators regarding the Sim intervention. The faculty trainees will undergo an intensive 1.5-day faculty development course followed by a 2-day placement at MUST sim center for mentored scenario execution practice.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 4
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Data Santorino, MD; Phone Number: 0774500571; Email: sdata@must.ac.ug
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Francis Bajunirwe, MD, PhD; Phone Number: 0772 576 396; Email: fbaj@must.ac.ug

Study Locations

• Uganda
  • Mbarara, Uganda, 256
    • Recruiting
    • Mbarara University of Science and Technology
    • Contact: Data Santorino, MD; Phone Number: 0774500571; Email: sdata@must.ac.ug

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Health professions Institutions in East and West Africa in the Sim for life program
• Institutional commitment to adopt simulation based learning Faculty at these health professions institutions

Exclusion Criteria: Institutions outside East and West Africa Sim for life program

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Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Before/After; Before and after simulation; Institutional faculty and facilities	Other: Simulation based learning; Faculty development courses on simulation based learning

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Adoption of simulation based learning	Adoption of simulation based learning	Change from baseline to 12 months after introduction of simulation based techniques
Barriers to simulation	Barriers to simulation based learning	Change from baseline to 12 months after introduction of simulation based techniques

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Facilitators	Facilitators of simulation based learning	Change from baseline to 12 months after introduction of simulation based techniques
Institutional readiness	Institutional readiness to adopt simulation based learning	Change from baseline to 12 months after introduction of simulation based learning

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mbarara University of Science and Technology
• Collaborators: University of Calgary; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute; The ELMA Foundation; Laerdal Foundation

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 30, 2021
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 18, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): May 5, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 5, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2021
• Last Verified: April 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Simulation based learning
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2020/MUST-2/SIM-II

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Ethics approval is required

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No