Preparing for Organizational Change in Home Health Care With Simulation-Based Training

Abstract

Background: Simulation has been suggested as a suitable approach to train home health care professionals for telecare practice. The potentials in using simulation to prepare organizations and staff for telecare implementation are however unexplored. Methods: A collaborative action research approach involving key stakeholders from two home health care organizations was used to develop a simulation-based telecare training program for home health care professionals. Results and Conclusion: The collaborative approach to simulation-based training design described here can facilitate genuine stakeholder participation in the development of training objectives, methods and content which will best respond to real staff needs, as well as local organizational conditions and concerns associated with telecare implementation.

Perceptions of telecare training needs in home healthcare services: a focus group study

“…In addition to the findings from the focus group study, training objectives were informed by various recommendations from the literature on the use of telecare in home healthcare services [ 11 , 19 , 20 , 22 – 24 , 43 ], as well as by a study on older patients’ experiences with virtual visits [ 47 ]. See Wiig et al [ 42 ] for the for the full Safer@Home study protocol, and Guise & Wiig [ 48 ] for further detail on how the simulation-based telecare training program for home healthcare professionals was developed.…”

Evaluating a simulation-based telecare training program for home healthcare professionals: A trainee perspective

“…[33] 2.1 Description and implementation of the simulationbased telecare training program The simulation-based training program was designed and developed in active collaboration with prospective trainees and other organizational representatives including managerial staff. [14,29] The main training objectives were to gain knowledge and practical experience of how to undertake clinical tasks via virtual home healthcare visits, including how to prepare, initiate, conduct and end visits; application of relevant communication principles and techniques; and practical understanding and experience of relevant technical equipment. The training content consisted of a course curriculum; two course manuals; and five simulation scenarios (see Guise and Wiig [14] for details).…”

“…[14,29] The main training objectives were to gain knowledge and practical experience of how to undertake clinical tasks via virtual home healthcare visits, including how to prepare, initiate, conduct and end visits; application of relevant communication principles and techniques; and practical understanding and experience of relevant technical equipment. The training content consisted of a course curriculum; two course manuals; and five simulation scenarios (see Guise and Wiig [14] for details). The simulation scenarios were developed in accordance with the approach to simulation-based training reported by Dieckmann.…”

“…[2] In an effort to expand the knowledge on whether and how simulation can best be utilized for this purpose, a simulation-based telecare training program for healthcare professionals [14] was developed, tested and evaluated with staff working in municipal home healthcare services in Norway. The aim of this study was to assess trainee opinions of the form and content of the training program and explore if it met intended training objectives in relation to preparing home healthcare staff for undertaking virtual visits.…”

“…[9] There is some indication, though, that simulationbased training may be useful in preparation for telecare prac-tice, particularly in undergraduate nursing education. [2,[10][11][12][13] The potentials in using simulation for vocational telecare training for home healthcare professionals have remained largely unexplored, [14] however, despite recognition of its utility both in preparation for changing work processes [15] and the introduction of new technologies in healthcare organizations. [16] Simulation-based training is increasingly being used to teach a range of knowledge, skills and attitudes relevant to healthcare provision in community care environments, including home healthcare settings.…”