P015: Staff skills: a procedural skills curriculum for emergency medicine attending physicians in Calgary

Abstract

Introduction: Emergency medicine attending physicians perform many essential procedures but some infrequently. Skill proficiency and familiarity declines over time. We intended to identify skills where colleagues felt deficient and create an opportunity to demonstrate and practice in a safe environment. Methods: Sessions began from a review of ultrasound guided central line and pacemaker insertion. Other procedures have been added as a result of critical incidents, needs assessments by attending physicians, acquisition of new technology/equipment and expert consensus. An evaluation and needs assessment is performed after each session to adjust curricula. Results: Since 2011, we have held 2-3 skill sessions per year at the Advanced Trauma Surgical Skills Laboratory at the University of Calgary. Sessions are taught by attending emergency physicians, employ task trainers, simulators, animal and human cadaveric models, ultrasound, and procedural equipment stocked in our local hospitals. We are able to accommodate ~30 participants per session for 3 hours of rotating 7-8 participants through various stations. Every session has been fully attended with a wait list. Physicians register by email with preference given to new participants and those identified during clinical practice review of requiring remediation. Costs of sessions are covered by voluntary contribution to an emergency department physician support fund. Procedures practiced have included airway (basic, adjuncts, bronchoscopy, video laryngoscopy, surgical airway, chest tube), vascular access (ultrasound guided central venous insertion, transvenous pacemaker insertion, nerve blocks, IO insertion), surgical skills (thoracotomy, chest tube, canthotomy, surgical airway) and other percutaneous procedures (paracentesis, thoracentesis, nerve block, lumbar puncture). High fidelity skills videos were created to augment the sessions, available on the department website. Four point scale evaluations from our most recent session yielded 100% excellent rating for overall workshop and relevance to practice. The 6 facilitators performance received 100% excellent or good ratings. Conclusion: We have developed a fun, nonthreatening opportunity for attending physicians to practice infrequent but important ED procedures. The sessions are well received, well attended, foster collegiality, confidence and competence in performance of infrequent ED skills. Our model could be generalized to other centres.