Teaching therapeutics in paediatrics using high fidelity simulation: Knowledge gain and perception among final year medical students

Introduction: The art and science of selecting the correct medicine for different diseases is called therapeutics. For students of medicine to learn this, real patients are a need. Yet, there are ethical and safety issues when trainees use patients for learning purposes. If patients and diseases can be mimicked, this problem could be circumvented. High Fidelity Simulations (HFS) is the science and art of mimicking patients and diseases as close as possible to real life scenarios.

Objective: To assess the student perception on the use of HFS to teach therapeutics in paediatrics and to assess the knowledge gain.

Method: A group of final year medical students during their professorial paediatric appointment were given the scenarios on status epilepticus and acute severe asthma using HFS, designed to select the correct drugs, formulations, doses, routes of administration, checking and giving the drugs, looking for adverse reactions and managing accordingly. Pre-test and post-test questionnaires were administered to assess the student’s knowledge gain. Their perception about the teaching session was assessed using a pre-tested anonymous self-administered questionnaire in a five-point Likert scale. (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree)

Results: Students scored significantly higher in the post-knowledge assessment when compared with the pre-session knowledge assessment (p <0.001). Student perception about the HFS session scored 4 to 5 in the Likert scale. Students mentioned that HFS should be used more often in teaching therapeutics and further mentioned that it is better than small group discussions. 

Conclusions: Use of HFS in teaching therapeutics in paediatrics is well received by students. It is an effective method of knowledge gain in therapeutics for medical students.