Comparison of In Vivo Simulation Training Compared to Video Simulation Training for Identifying Clinical Markers of Distress When Feeding Preterm Infants

• Main Author: Wagner, Emily M
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2016
• Subjects: simulation training; speech-language pathology; preterm infant distress; Speech Pathology and Audiology
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3032; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4424&context=etd

Preterm infants have multiple health complications due to their underdeveloped neurological systems. Bottle-feeding difficulties are one complication that leads to pulmonary illness secondary to aspiration. Preterm infants exhibit clinical markers when experiencing distress during bottle-feeding. Training caregivers to identify clinical markers reduces the risk for aspiration. Simulation training provides a safe learning environment without harming patients. Twenty-two speech-language pathology and pre-requisite students divided into two simulation groups, video-simulation (N=12) and in-vivo simulation (N=10), were trained to document clinical markers of distress exhibited by preterm infants and make clinical judgments about bottle-feeding. Students rated their levels of anxiety during simulation training. Results revealed that students trained using video-simulation performed with higher clinical judgment scores and lower anxiety levels than students who received in-vivo training. Students’ knowledge of and ability to identify distress markers in preterm infants during bottle-feeding significantly improved after training in both groups without group differences.