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Simulation is an educational tool most valuable when implemented by trained individuals.1 Having regular simulation-based educational (SBE) activities leads to skill acquisition transferable to real-life situations.2 Emergency medicine (EM) residents at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have a variety of SBE opportunities across the four training sites (Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Victoria and Kelowna). We previously completed step two of Kern’s six-step model for curriculum development; a formal learner-targeted needs assessment.3 The assessment found a desire for increased SBE and concerns around prebrief inconsistency that may have contributed to the 19% rate of reported lack of psychological safety. This project was the second stage in an iterative curricular improvement process using a logic model.4 We chose to use a logic model as it allowed us to analyse our current programme and how it relates to the outcomes we are trying to achieve. In doing so, we were able to construct a theory of change by mapping our logical assumptions about how resource inputs into our programme result in deliverable outputs.5 The main advantage to this approach was to gain a high-level understanding of our simulation programme so that we could target specific inputs as a way to modify outputs. Our inputs into the logic model (figure 1) included simulation facilitators, technologists and labs, a recently …

Summary Multidisciplinary simulation has been used to successfully teach crisis resource management in operating room and emergency department settings. This article describes a “Mega-Sim” approach using an in-situ simulation that moves among multiple hospital departments to enhance multidisciplinary training and assess institutional response to a rare but high-risk event: trauma in a pregnant patient. It appears that a Mega-Sim can be used to identify systems issues, increase medical knowledge and improve perceptions of teamwork and communication within and among hospital departments.

Study objective We compare intranasal ketamine with intranasal placebo in providing pain reduction at 30 minutes when added to usual paramedic care with nitrous oxide. Methods This was a randomized double-blind study of out-of-hospital patients with acute pain who reported a verbal numeric rating scale (VNRS) pain score greater than or equal to 5. Exclusion criteria were younger than 18 years, known ketamine intolerance, nontraumatic chest pain, altered mental status, pregnancy, and nasal occlusion. Patients received usual paramedic care and were randomized to receive either intranasal ketamine or intranasal saline solution at 0.75 mg/kg. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with VNRS score reduction greater than or equal to 2 at 30 minutes. Secondary outcomes were pain reduction at 15 minutes, patient-reported comfort, satisfaction scores, nitrous oxide consumption, and incidence of adverse events. Results One hundred twenty subjects were enrolled. Seventy-six percent of intranasal ketamine patients versus 41% of placebo patients reported a greater than or equal to 2-point VNRS reduction at 30 minutes (difference 35%; 95% confidence interval 17% to 51%). Median VNRS reduction at 15 minutes was 2.0 and 1.0 and at 30 minutes was 3.0 and 1.0 for ketamine and placebo, respectively. Improved comfort at 15 and 30 minutes was reported for 75% versus 57% and 61% versus 46% of ketamine and placebo patients, respectively. Sixty-two percent of patients (95% confidence interval 49% to 73%) versus 20% (95% confidence interval 12% to 32%) reported adverse events with ketamine and placebo, respectively. Adverse events were minor, with no patients requiring physical or medical intervention. Conclusion Added to nitrous oxide, intranasal ketamine provides clinically significant pain reduction and improved comfort compared with intranasal placebo, with more minor adverse events.

Introduction: Primary care paramedics (PCPs) have limited options to provide analgesia during transport thus timely pain relief is often significantly delayed. Inhaled nitrous oxide is considered usual care for PCPs, but is limited in effectiveness. Intranasal (IN) ketamine has been shown to provide effective analgesia with no deleterious effects on cardiorespiratory function thus may provide rapid, easily-administered and well-tolerated analgesia in prehospital transports. Methods: This was a randomized double-blind pilot series. Patients with an acute painful condition reporting a pain score of 5 or more on an 11-point verbal numeric rating scale (VNRS) were included. Exclusion criteria were age under 18 years, known intolerance to ketamine, non-traumatic chest pain, altered mental status, pregnancy and nasal occlusion. Patients were randomized to 0.75 mg/kg of IN ketamine or IN saline. All patents received inhaled nitrous oxide. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients experiencing a reduction in VNRS pain score of two points or more (clinically significant pain reduction) at 30 minutes. Secondary outcomes were patient-reported comfort, patient and provider satisfaction, and incidence of adverse events. Results: 40 patients were enrolled, 20 in each group. 80% of IN ketamine patients compared to 60% of placebo patients reported a 2-point reduction in VNRS pain score by 30 minutes. 50% of ketamine vs 25% of placebo patients reported feeling moderately or much better. 85% of ketamine vs 75% of placebo patients reported any improvement in subjective comfort. 80% of ketamine patients reported minor adverse effects compared to 52% of placebo patients. No serious adverse effects were reported. Conclusion: The addition of IN ketamine to usual care with nitrous oxide appears to result in a greater proportion of patients reporting a clinically significant reduction in VNRS pain score and improved subjective comfort, with a greater incidence of minor adverse effects. These findings will be used to power a definitive randomized double-blind trial.