Nontechnical Skills Assessment of Emergency Physicians and Quality of Care in a Virtual Emergency Department

The ability to manage multiple patients and anticipate the risk of error related to task interruptions or disruptions has been identified among relevant non-technical skills (NTS) for practicing emergency medicine. However, the link between these skills and the quality of care has not been quantified. NTS are usually analyzed by qualitative methods such as interviews, direct observations, or questionnaires that have low performance according to the GRADE system (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation).

The investigators have created and validated an experimental model of a virtual, authentic and realistic Emergency Department (ED). The platform has been modelled in a "Second Life" environment. The NTS of emergency physicians will be assessed and recorded during simulated care of multiple virtual patients. The NTS association with ED length of stay and disposition decision will be analyzed. This study will be an internal pilot study and will include 30 emergency physicians who practice emergency medicine for at least two years.

Sessions will be performed in the Toulouse Institute of Health Care Simulation, Toulouse University Hospital. They will be composed of three stages: briefing (30 minutes), simulated practice (3 hours), and debriefing with an explicit interview (30 minutes). Two researchers and a computer technician will supervise the sessions. The data will be obtained by analyzing the video recorded during the simulated practice and the interview.