An investigation into when and how to train Medical students for the most effective learning of non-technical skills: A qualitative study.

This study aimed to explore the undergraduate level at which the non-technical skills (NTS) should be taught. The objectives of the study were to explore teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of simulation for NTS training and designing NTS simulation sessions to achieve student competence. A qualitative design was adopted, by interviewing 30 teachers and then using 5 focused group discussions for data triangulation and confirmation of responses. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyse the data by focusing on the ideas, experiences, opinions and meanings presented by the participants. Most of the participants strongly believed in the benefits of teaching NTS from pre-clinical years. Teachers' consensus was to train students in communication, situation awareness, teamwork and leadership skills from preclinical years. However decision-making and stress management were agreed to be trained from clinical years as they require clinical knowledge. The use of simulation was found to be most effective for training among other methods like didactic sessions, case-based discussions and video-assisted learning. Simulation sessions integrating technical and NTS, fewer learning outcomes and effective debriefing were considered advantageous for effective learning. Simulation-based education using a spiral curriculum approach, starting training from pre-clinical years and gradually increasing difficulty through intricate exercises in clinical years can be suggested to achieve the desired competence of NTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]