Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36691242›Full record

Trial reportBMJ open2022

Refreshing medical students' intravenous-cannulation skills: a blinded observer three-arm randomised comparison of mental imagery, part-task trainer simulation and written instructions.

Joana Berger-Estilita, Rafael Blülle, Daniel Stricker, Mathias Balmer, Robert Greif, Christoph Berendonk

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Joana Berger-EstilitaDepartment of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland joanamberger@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-8695-4264
Rafael BlülleDepartment of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Daniel StrickerInstitute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Mathias BalmerBernese Institute of Primary Healthcare (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Robert GreifDepartment of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Christoph BerendonkInstitute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIntravenous cannulation is a core competence in medicine, but is considered challenging to learn. This study investigates the effectiveness of three educational strategies used to refresh the intravenous cannulation skills of first-year medical students: mental imagery, part-task trainer simulation and written instructions. MATERIALS AND

methodsIn this single-centre randomised controlled trial, first-year medical students were assigned to one of three different refresher tutorials on intravenous cannulation. Six months after their compulsory 4 hour instructor-led intravenous-cannulation course, each student was randomised to a 6 min self-learning tutorial: a mental imagery audioguide session, hands-on intravenous cannulation on a part-task trainer or reading written instructions.Immediately after the refresher tutorials, trained evaluators who were blinded to the randomised group assessed the students' performance. Each evaluator completed a 15-item standardised checklist in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) station for intravenous cannulation. We performed a descriptive analysis of the data and a one-way analysis of variance. Additionally, we investigated the influence of previous intravenous cannulation experience on the total OSCE score. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: On analysing the 309 students' results, we did not find differences in the total rating of the performance (in percentage) between the three groups at the OSCE station (mental imagery group: 72.0%±17.9%; part-task trainer group: 74.4%±15.6%; written instructions group: 69.9%±16.6%, p=0.158). Multiple linear regression showed a small but statistically significant effect of students' previous intravenous cannulation experience on OSCE performance. With the same outcome, written instructions and mental imagery had a better return on effort, compared with resource-intensive hands-on training with part-task trainers.

conclusionA single, short refresher seems to have a limited effect on intravenous-cannulation skills in first-year medical students. Less resource-intensive interventions, such as written instructions or mental imagery, are effective compared with hands-on part-task trainer simulation for refreshing this simple but important skill. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: AEARCTR-0008043.

Indexed as

Students, MedicalCatheterizationClinical CompetenceEducational MeasurementHumansLearningPhysical ExaminationPolyvinyl AlcoholPovidonePolyvinyl AlcoholPovidoneadult anaesthesiaeducation & training (see medical education & training)medical education & training

Identifiers

PMID36691242
PMCPMC9171265

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.