Methods

This prospective randomized single-blind trial involved 50 residents. All participants attended the same didactic lecture on respiratory pathophysiology and were subsequently randomized into two groups: the mannequin group (n= 25) and the computer screen–based simulator group (n= 25). One week later, each underwent a training assessment using five different scenarios of acute respiratory failure of different etiologies. Later, both groups underwent further testing of patient management, using in situ high-fidelity simulation of a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Results

Baseline knowledge was not significantly different between the two groups (P= 0.72). Regarding the training assessment, no significant differences were detected between the groups. In the final assessment, the scores of only the mannequin group significantly improved between the training and final session in terms of either global rating score [3.0 (2.5–4.0) vs. 2.0 (2.0–3.0), P= 0.005] or percentage of key score (82% vs. 71%, P= 0.001).

Conclusions