Acquisition of skills in critical emergency medicine: an experimental study on the SIAARTI Academy CREM experience

BACKGROUND In 2019 the SIAARTI developed a seven-days course for residents, focused on critical emergency medicine (CREM) in a hostile environment, that grounds on simulation-based education and training with hands-on simulation, high-fidelity simulators and part-task trainers. This project aimed to evaluate the efficacy of this course in comparison to traditional learning programs in term of technical (TS) and non-technical (NTS) skills. We assessed the improvement in TS and NTS over time, and the ability to involve trainees in corporate activities. METHODS Three-hundred and twenty-seven trainees completed the study. Trainees were allocated into three groups: those who joined the SIAARTI-Academy-CREM course and received a study kit (SA-kit, N.=124), those who received only a study kit (kit, N.=108), and control (N.=95). Eighty-five tests were administered to investigate skills at three timepoints: T0 (baseline), T1 (post-training/kit), and T2 (four months later). RESULTS TS differed among groups (P