Objective: The authors assessed whether anesthesia residents who acted as a scenario creators would have better knowledge retention than their juniors 90 days after participating in a simulation-based anesthetists’ non-technical skills (ANTS) workshop.

Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study via simulation ANTS workshop was conducted at a university hospital in southern Thailand in November 2017. Seven third-year post-graduate (PGY-3) residents volunteered as scenario creators, while the remaining anesthesia residents were randomly selected to participate in or observe three case scenarios, which were cardiac arrest, hypotension, and difficult ventilation. Resident’s knowledge was assessed before, immediately after, and 90 days after the workshop using a 20-item multiple-choice questionnaire. Predictors of change in knowledge scores were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis and presented as beta coefficient (β) and 95% confidence limits (CL).

Results: Twenty-four anesthesia residents were recruited in the present study and included eight PGY-1, seven PGY-2, and nine PGY-3. The roles consisted of seven scenario creators, seven participants, and 10 observers. The overall immediate post-test and 90-day post-test scores increased significantly compared to the pre-test scores with a mean of 15.5 and 13.2 versus 11.7 (p<0.001 and p=0.007, respectively). The predictors of change in 90-day scores were PGY-3 versus PGY-1 (β 95% CL 4.0 [0.5 to 7.6], p=0.039), and role of participants and observers versus scenario creator (β 95% CL 5.5 [2.2 to 8.8] and 6.7 [2.8 to 10.6], p=0.004, respectively).

Conclusion: Anesthesia residents who were participants or observers could improve their knowledge 90 days after a simulation-based ANTS workshop without necessarily being a scenario creator.

Keywords: Anesthetists’ non-technical skill; Knowledge retention; Scenario creator; Simulation workshop

DOI: doi.org/10.35755/jmedassocthai.2021.09.12987

Received 17 May 2021 | Revised 23 June 2021 | Accepted 23 June 2021