SimuCarePro-CRM: Simulation in healthcare and Crisis Resource Management to increase the efficiency of multidisciplinary teams in initial training Erasmus Project

Project Title

SimuCarePro-CRM: Simulation in healthcare and Crisis Resource Management to increase the efficiency of multidisciplinary teams in initial training

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

According to the WHO, one patient out of 300 is at risk of a “wound” or even death while undergoing healthcare, and 70% of medical errors are related to human factors. In order to reduce those risks, European and ministerial requirements recommend integrating non-technical skill learning in the initial and continuing training of all healthcare professionals.

Non-technical skills, also called Crisis Resource Management (CRM), are defined in eleven key points: knowing one’s environment, anticipating and planning, calling for help, leadership, assigning workload, gathering available resources, communicating efficiently, using all available information, dedicating attention judiciously, assigning clear roles, using cognitive helps.

The European partnership of the SimuCarePro-CRM project has developed an e-learning platform about CRM concepts https://simucarepro-crm.eu/plateforme/. This tool is dedicated to learners’ prior preparation simulation activities. The learning of these concepts using the digital tool and the latter’s impact on initial training are tested and validated by different target groups: last year nursing care, midwifery and specialisation students as well as assistant doctors. This test could only be carried out by the Belgian partners as all in-presence activities were forbidden in Portugal and in Romania during the health crisis. The platform ergonomics and the interest of the modules are evaluated by those target groups with an online questionnaire. The project results are varied: the partnership between paramedical bachelor colleges and universities created academic bridges based on technical/non-technical knowledge learning while working on clinical judgement and simulation methods. The cooperation between the different health training institutions and the development of an interprofessional cooperation to test the scenarios based on the study of CRM helped learn different components of team management during a crisis and improved the quality of learners’ training. The online platform helps (future) health professionals understand CRM concepts before transferring them in simulation activities. During the Covid-19 pandemic, most training activities in numerous European countries turned into virtual sessions. The “SimuCarePro-CRM” e-learning platform anticipates these new challenges and offers an alternative solution to maintain online training opportunities accessible to all in a digital age.

Initially planned for two years but extended by six months due to the Covid-19 crisis, the project was developed in six steps related to the above-mentioned activities: preparation, online learning of CRM concepts, CRM concepts identification by each partner, CRM concepts validation during debriefings, analysis and synthesis and, finally, results formalisation.

The project has had several significant impacts: learners’ training has been completed with a simulation training that included multidisciplinary team management, which increases their capability to respond in a suitable way to problems encountered in the field. Thanks to the project, instructors could prepare the multidisciplinary approach wished by the partnership between academic poles. Free access to the online platform makes it easier to transfer to other training institutions. SimuCarePro-CRM also contributes to improving practices in team management during an emergency/complex situation and gives hospitals the possibility to call to the training area to develop a reflection on their practice and face problems.

On the long term, the project will contribute to: establishing the practice based on CRM as a transversal skill, fostering permanent learning exchanges between health professional training institutions (through the e-learning platform), promoting simulation scenarios focussed on validated CRM concepts, developing the simulation skills of simulation instructors and learners (through the platform), improving interprofessional collaboration in initial training and supporting health professionals’ lifelong learning.

Project Website

http://simucarepro-crm.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 255938 Eur

Project Coordinator

Haute Ecole Libre Mosane & Country: BE

Project Partners

• ESCOLA SUPERIOR DE ENFERMAGEM DE COIMBRA
• INITIATIVES POUR UNE FORMATION EFFICACE ASBL
• UNIVERSITATEA DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE IULIU HATIEGANU CLUJ-NAPOCA
• UNIVERSITE PARIS DESCARTES
• UNIVERSITE DE LIEGE