Practical strategies for increasing efficiency and effectiveness in critical care education

Abstract

Technological advances and evolving demands in medical care have led to challenges in ensuring adequate training for providers of critical care. Reliance on the traditional experience-based training model alone is insufficient for ensuring quality and safety in patient care. This article provides a brief overview of the existing educational practice within the critical care environment. Challenges to education within common daily activities of critical care practice are reviewed. Some practical evidence-based educational approaches are then described which can be incorporated into the daily practice of critical care without disrupting workflow or compromising the quality of patient care. It is hoped that such approaches for improving the efficiency and efficacy of critical care education will be integrated into training programs.

Keywords: Medical education; Critical care; Educational efficiency; Educational efficacy; Bedside teaching; Flipped classroom; Patient handover; Multidisciplinary team practice; In situ simulation; Procedural training

Core tip: Evidence-based approaches for improving the efficiency and efficacy of critical care education have been developed and should be integrated into training programs. While a variety of such approaches are described in this paper and elsewhere in the medical education literature they share common characteristics. These include utilizing methods to rapidly identify learner needs, teaching directly to those needs, and providing specific feedback on performance. In addition these approaches emphasize active learning activities and integrate educational experiences from the classroom and clinical settings.