ImPACTS Sim-Mobile Program- Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Marc Auerbach
The ImPACTS network uses simulation training in community ERs. This year, ImPACTS now includes a “train the trainers” component.
The ImPACTS network continues to grow through R Baby’s support and this year has added an additional component to “train the trainers” in new areas across the country. ImPACTS continues to assess and train the staff at community hospitals, led by the experts in our hubs from top Children’s Hospitals. We are excited about this new component because it will help reach more doctors and ultimately impact even more children. Adding these additional hubs focused on training the trainers (who are the pediatric champions in the community hospitals) creates a process, where currently none exists, to provide locally administered training that will support these pediatric champions in providing pediatric education within their community ER.
After these champions participate in training, they will have the tools and training for them to return to their home hospitals, and more effectively train their own front-line staff within their hospital or hospital network. This allows even more doctors and staff to participate in this life-saving training, allowing remote support from the ImPACTS trainers rather than needing ImPACTS trainers there in person.
Through our ImPACTS simulation training sessions, we have also learned that hospitals sometimes acquire simulation equipment and yet do not necessarily factor in the need to access strategic and tested training for maximum effectiveness of the equipment. This train the trainer program provides critical high-quality training for institutions to maximize equipment they may already possess.
With this new training component, additional hubs have been added across the country. In LA alone, eighteen hospitals have been completed in just the past three months! ImPACTS has recently surpassed 1000 healthcare professionals participating in sessions across over eighty hospitals throughout the country that care for well over one million children per year.
ImPACTS program in a snapshot:
- provides the pediatric champions at each participating community ER site with knowledge, skills, attitudes and resources to deliver high quality, evidence-based, cutting edge pediatric training
- provides simulation for a train the trainer course for general ER providers as well as training general ER educators to conduct ongoing simulations throughout the year to impact even more medical staff
- provides take home resources for attendees to bring back to their institution and to aid future simulation courses
- provides ongoing access to a website providing educational modules, policies/procedures and a community room to share resources, ideas, challenges and helpful tips
- provides a weekly pediatric tip of the week and monthly webinar and podcasts for ongoing education and support
- provides web-based software to monitor compliance with staff pediatric requirements for training/education
In addition, ImPACTS is assessing care at the national level measuring pediatric emergency care to guide improvement including the assessment of current systems, providers, teamwork/communication, and simulated cases.
After collecting data, it is entered into a database managed by Yale for customized, quantitative reports and action items which are then shared with each site. A summary score/assessment is provided to each ER one week after simulation.