P031: Multidisciplinary healthcare and first aid provider training for in-flight medical emergencies: a crowdsourcing session followed by an airplane simulation

Abstract

Innovation Concept: Is there a healthcare provider on board? Healthcare providers may be less confident for in-flight medical emergencies (IFME), as these situations are not part of usual curriculum or practice contexts (e.g. hospitals). For example, the literature reveals that medical students and physicians lack IFME basic knowledge and preparedness. The goal is to pilot a training session for healthcare providers to improve their confidence in navigating IFME. Methods: This training innovation involved: i) a session to crowdsource insights from multidisciplinary healthcare and first aid providers, followed by reviewing considerations of a CMAJ 2018 article on airplane emergencies, and ii) 2 airplane simulations (syncope and cardiac arrest). During crowdsourcing, 7 IFME learning objectives were explored: i) challenges, ii) solutions, iii) equipment, iv) taking vitals, v) general approach, vi) cardiac arrest approach, and vii) human resources / role-delegation. Knowledge and approaches extracted were then applied in simulations. Participants provided scores out of 7.00 for: i) satisfaction of crowdsourcing session and simulation and ii) self-rated confidence on learning objectives at baseline, post-crowdsourcing session, and post-simulation. Results were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey. Curriculum, Tool, or Material: The workshop curriculum was a crowdsourcing session and simulation to mentally rehearse and practice clinical skills in airplane settings to improve IFME preparedness. Conclusion: Participants rated the crowdsourcing activity (6.70/7.00, n = 11) and simulation (6.50/7.00, n = 11) positively. Confidence in the 7 topics improved from baseline (2.49/7.00) to post-crowdsourcing (5.23/7.00) to post-simulation (5.94/7.00). Significant differences (p < 0.01) between baseline and post-crowdsourcing, and between baseline and post-simulation were observed. There was no significant difference between post-crowdsourcing and post-simulation. One simulation limitation was not all could be rescuers; therefore, debriefing is important to meet learning objectives. Second, the simulation was not within an airplane; housing simulations inside an airplane with flight attendants is a potential next step. Overall, self-confidence in topics of IFME may improve after just one crowdsourcing session, facilitated through group discussions and mental rehearsal. Added simulations may maintain self-confidence on these topics, by promoting memory retention through active learning and repetition.