Aimed at multi-professional teams from paediatric and neonatal intensive care, transport, palliative care and the hospice setting, a simulation based course has been developed to improve the planning, communication and practical aspects of transferring a ventilated patient for an out-of-hospital, hospice based extubation.
To improve the care provided to children and families for whom the direction of care has changed. Particular focus is given to multi-disciplinary team working in advance of complex decision making, supporting simulated actor parents through this process and enabling a smooth, safe transfer through effective planning and co-ordination.
Established in 2016 and drawing on a multi-professional faculty, this simulation based course encompasses the following:
1) Complex end of life decision making
2) Multi-site liaison to facilitate a transfer
3) Shared learning about the process of transferring a ventilated child from intensive care
4) Actors are used to enable depth and a sense of reality for candidates
This highly evaluated programme addresses the recognised gap in knowledge and the provision of care in this specialised and complex group. Evaluation data indicates improved understanding of the planning and implementation of this type of transfer. Crucially, the multi-agency nature of the course has increased understanding between teams from different sites and allowed them to effectively collaborate in enabling this type of transfer.
The development and delivery of this course demonstrates the effective use of clinical simulation in an interprofessional context. We believe this goes some way towards closing the gap in knowledge and skills in this difficult and sensitive area.