Anaesthesia training relies on an apprenticeship-type model and clinical immersion. The investigators propose that the use of a deliberate teaching tool will bring structure to what is currently an ad hoc process, improving the teaching and learning experience. Teaching encounters will be guided by initial goal-setting and conclude with feedback to gauge if goals were achieved and to plan for future learning. It is a verbal and formative process, without the use of forms or any grading scheme.
In this quality improvement study, departments implement the framework in all operating room teaching encounters for a four-week period, excluding cases done after-hours. Specialists will be provided with a short guide and video aid to learn to use the framework. The impact of the framework will be evaluated using a tool designed to measure the educational environment, which is the social system that includes the learner and their interactions.
This is the first deliberate teaching tool designed for or evaluated in clinical anaesthesia training. This study has the potential to significantly improve teaching from current unstructured and ad hoc practice, to one that implements best-practice elements, improving the quality, efficacy, and efficiency of teaching.
Dr Navdeep Sidhu, North Shore Hospital, New Zealand; Professor Kirsty Forrest, Bond University, Queensland; Dr Alana Cavadino, The University of Auckland, New Zealand.
The project was awarded $A44,935 through the ANZCA research grants program for 2022.