Commentary on a participatory inquiry paradigm used to assess EOL simulation participant outcomes and design

• Main Author: Jane M. Gannon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2017-11-01
• Series: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research
• Subjects: Simulation; End-of-life care; Simulation design; Simulation evaluation; Health sciences
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13584-017-0187-7

Abstract Care at the end-of-life has attracted global attention, as health care workers struggle with balancing cure based care with end-of-life care, and knowing when to transition from the former to the latter. Simulation is gaining in popularity as an education strategy to facilitate health care provider decision-making by improving communication skills with patients and family members. This commentary focuses on the authors’ simulation evaluation process. When data were assessed using a participatory inquiry paradigm, the evaluation revealed far more than a formative or summative evaluation of participant knowledge and skills in this area of care. Consequently, this assessment strategy has ramifications for best practices for simulation design and evaluation.