Impact of number of critical care procedural skill repetitions on supervision level and teaching style

BACKGROUND: During critical care procedural skills training (e.g., in intubation and pericardiocentesis) the appropriate supervision level is important to ensure correct use of techniques and guarantee patient safety. The appropriate teaching style should be selected to address residents’ learning behavior and foster their competence. The aim of this study was to explore the number of repetitions for given skills needed to achieve a specified supervision level and a specific teaching style. METHODS: This cross-sectional multicenter survey obtained data from residents and faculty of three multidisciplinary intensive care units (ICU) in Switzerland. Using a 4-point Likert scale, participants were asked to indicate the number of repetitions required to achieve the specified supervision level and teaching style. RESULTS: Among 91 physicians, the response rate was 64% (n = 59). Their median estimations of the numbers of skill repetitions needed to achieve the final fourth level of supervision and final fourth stage of teaching style were as follows: arterial catheter insertion: supervision level 32, teaching style 17.5; peritoneal paracentesis: supervision level 27, teaching style 17; central venous catheter insertion: supervision level 38, teaching style 28; lumbar puncture: supervision level 38, teaching style 21; endotracheal intubation: supervision level 100, teaching style 45; chest drain insertion: supervision level 27, teaching style 21.5; temporary pacemaker placement: supervision level 50, teaching style 19.5; percutaneous tracheostomy: supervision level 50, teaching style 29; pericardiocentesis: supervision level 50, teaching style 35. Comparison of repetitions between supervision level and teaching style revealed no difference at the first and second levels, except for endotracheal intubation at level 2 (p = 0.03). Differences were observed at the third and fourth levels of supervision level and teaching style (p≤0.04). CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the supervision level and teaching style applied by faculty should change according to both the number of repetitions and the difficulty of critical care procedural skills.