Assessing Long-Term Skill Retention in Pre-Clerkship Medical Students Using Simulation Intravenous Catheter Placement: A Prospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Skills Simulation
• Clinical Competency Assessment

Background:

• Hands-on learning is crucial in medical education, yet preclinical students often lack exposure to skills like intravenous cannulation (IVC) until clerkship.
• Early simulation of IVC may enhance student performance upon entering clinical rotations.
• This study evaluates the lasting effects of a preclinical IVC training session on skill retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a single preclinical intravenous cannulation (IVC) skill session on medical student retention.
• To determine if early simulation training influences long-term performance in IVC.
• To analyze skill retention in students transitioning to clerkship after a preclinical IVC session.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study comparing a trained group (TG, n=42) with a control group (CG, n=50).
• Participants performed IVC six months post-session, with blinded anaesthesiologists evaluating performance via video recording and a validated checklist.
• Primary outcome: composite checklist score. Secondary outcomes: time to completion, successful cannulation, and number of attempts.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed between groups in composite checklist scores, number of attempts, or successful cannulation rates (p > 0.05).
• However, a subgroup analysis revealed that students who successfully cannulated in the TG had a significantly shorter time to completion compared to the CG (p=0.006).

Conclusions:

• A single preclinical IVC simulation session demonstrated a long-term positive impact on skill retention, specifically by reducing the time required for successful cannulation.
• These findings highlight the utility of preclinical simulation for improving essential procedural skills.
• Further research in clinical settings is recommended to validate these outcomes and explore the broader applicability of preclinical skill simulation.