Browsing by Author "Kodikara, K.G."

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Best practices of basic life support training in undergraduate medical education: A guide to medical teachers.
(Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2022) Kodikara, K.G.
Basic life support (BLS) is an essential clinical skill that needs to be mastered by graduating medical officers as potential first responders in clinical settings. Inadequate resuscitation skills of healthcare professionals in BLS have been identified as contributing to poor prognosis in cardiac arrest victims. Thus, BLS training has been incorporated into undergraduate medical curricula using various instructional methods to equip their graduates with BLS skills. Despite such training, medical students and junior doctors were found to be under-competent in delivering BLS primarily due to different methods of instruction utilised in BLS training as opposed to simulation-based training, which is identified as the gold standard in BLS training. It is recommended that simulation-based BLS training be conducted, giving more weight to the skill component, in small groups of 3–10 students, complemented by yearly refresher courses and just-in-time training. This article aims to build awareness and inform medical teachers and programme directors on the current best practices of BLS training in undergraduate medical education.
High fidelity simulation in undergraduate medical curricula: experience of fourth year medical students
(South East Asia Regional Association for Medical Education -SEARAME, 2020) Kodikara, K.G.; Karunaratne, W.C.D.; Chandratilake, M.N.
INTRODUCTION: Application of theoretical knowledge to management of critically ill patients is a challenging task for medical undergraduates where opportunities to learn clinical skills with regard to management of emergencies are few. High fidelity simulation (HFS) is widely used globally to learn clinical skills in a safe environment. However, research in use of HFS in developing countries such as Sri Lanka is minimal. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the response of medical undergraduates to a high fidelity simulator in the context of management of emergencies. METHOD: A pilot group of 30 fourth year medical students underwent a high fidelity simulator session. They completed a self-administered evaluation, which included both open and close ended questions and participated in a focus group discussion post-simulation. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the responses to close-ended questions and the responses to open- ended questions and focus group discussion were analyzed for recurring themes. RESULT: Students rated the simulation-based learning experience with high positivity. The self-competency of 29 (96.6%) students had increased post-simulation while providing a safe learning environment to all students. Majority (63.3%; n=19) felt it helped put theory into practice. Qualitative data gathered from open-ended questions and focus group discussions further confirmed these findings. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that HFS can be used to provide a safe environment and a satisfying educational experience for students to learn medical emergencies, and as an educational opportunity of translating theory into practice. Although HFSs are costly they appear to be cost effective in terms of educational outcomes. KEYWORDS: Simulation, Medical students, High fidelity, Competency
High Fidelity Simulation in Undergraduate Medical Curricula: Experience of Fourth Year Medical Students at a Sri Lankan Medical Faculty
(4th International Conference on Advances in Computing and Technology (ICACT ‒ 2019), Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Kodikara, K.G.; Karunaratne, W.C.D.; Chandratilake, M.N.
Application of theoretical knowledge to management of critically ill patients is a challenging task faced by medical undergraduates where opportunities to learn clinical skills with regard to management of emergencies are few. High fidelity simulation (HFS) is widely used globally as an adjunct to clinical practice enabling students to learn clinical skills in a safe environment. However, research in the use of HFS in Sri Lanka is minimal. The purpose of this study was to explore the response of medical undergraduates to a high-fidelity simulator (HFS) in the context of management of emergencies. A pilot group of 30 fourth year medical students underwent a high-fidelity simulator session. They completed a self-administered evaluation, which included both open and close ended questions and participated in a focus group discussion post-simulation. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the responses to close-ended questions and the responses of the focus group discussion and open-ended questions were analyzed for recurring themes. All participating students responded to the evaluation. Students rated the simulation-based learning experience with high positivity. The self-competency of 29 (96.6%) students had increased following the sessions. The session provided a safe learning environment to all students. 19 (63.3%) students felt it helped put theory into practice while 21 (70.7%) students identified it as good practice for internship. 25 (83.3%) students wished to participate in more sessions. 17 (56.6%) students commented on the realistic nature of the experience. This study confirmed findings of previous studies conducted using HFS among medical undergraduates, confirming that the students highly valued high-fidelity simulation and find the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to practice in a safe environment. A high-fidelity simulator is a valuable learning tool in undergraduate medical education.
Intermediate fidelity simulation to educate emergency management skills
(Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2020) Kodikara, K.G.; Karunaratne, W.C.D.; Chandratilake, M.N.
Medical students learn clinical skills related to the management of emergencies during their clerkships, mainly via peripheral participation and observation. Simulation-based training is identified as an adjunct to clinical practice enabling students to learn clinical skills in a safe environment. Nevertheless, simulation-based training is still underutilised in many countries in the developing world. The purpose of this study was to explore the value of simulation-based learning using an intermediate fidelity simulator to train medical undergraduates on the management of medical emergencies. A pilot group of 80 fourth year medical students attended four simulation-based clinical skills sessions. The students completed a self-administered evaluation, which included both open and close-ended questions postsimulation. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the responses to close-ended questions, and the responses to open-ended questions were analysed for recurring themes. All participating students responded to the evaluation. Students rated the simulation-based learning experience with high positivity. The self-competency of 74 (92.5%) students had increased following the sessions. The sessions have provided a “safe” learning environment to all students, and 70 (87.5%) felt it helped apply theory into practice. Thirty-three (41.2%) noted the simulation session as an important learning tool for practising clinical skills. Thirty-one (38.5%) wished to participate in more sessions, and 39 (48.7%) felt that simulation should be introduced to the curriculum from the first-year. Students have recognised intermediate fidelity simulators as a valuable learning tool to train on the management of clinical emergencies and should be integrated into undergraduate medical curricula.