Michigan — Targeted Issue

Michigan's First Simulation, Training, & Evaluation of Paramedics in Pediatrics

March 1, 2005 - Feb. 29, 2008

Grant Number
H34MC04370
Project Overview
Paramedics infrequently encounter seriously ill children. The use of new pediatric simulators may substitute for actual clinical experience. The marginal benefits of various types of patient simulators are unknown. Nor is the optimal frequency and duration of simulation-based instruction known. The goal of this project is to develop and validate a comprehensive series of pediatric evaluation and training simulations for improving the assessment, procedural, and decision-making skills of paramedics in the prehospital management of ill and injured infants and children. Objectives include: (1) develop and validate a simulation-based assessment model as a clinical surrogate for evaluating paramedic clinical performance in caring for ill and injured pediatric patients; (2) complete a baseline assessment of the clinical performance of similarly trained paramedics in providing pediatric care through the validated assessment model; (3) develop a comprehensive series of realistic, intense clinical simulations using various types of pediatric educational simulators, including an advanced high fidelity infant simulator; (4) measure the interval change in clinical performance in paramedics randomized to one of two types of recurring simulation-based training or one of two types of control groups; and (5) evaluate the impact of training with high and low fidelity infant patient simulators on paramedic clinical performance using the previously validated assessment model.
Institution
Michigan State University, Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies
Main Contact
Award Amount
$599,985

Contacts

Name Role(s) Phone Email
William Fales, MD
  • Principal Investigator