Microlearning for patient safety: Crew resource management training in 15-minutes

TLDR

The study aimed to determine whether crew resource management training could be effectively delivered in 15‑minute micro‑learning modules and to compare the effectiveness of different instructional formats. A between‑subjects experiment with 129 medical students used three 5‑minute modules—video, simulation, and debriefing—where one group watched a concrete example video and another a lecture video; performance was assessed via video‑coded behavior and questionnaires administered pre‑, post‑, and 2‑week follow‑up. Participants in both groups performed most CRM behaviors and retained knowledge after two weeks, but the example‑video group demonstrated significantly greater use of training content during simulation, better long‑term retention, and more team coordination, confirming that micro‑learning modules are feasible and that instructional videos outperform lectures.

Abstract

We sought to establish the feasibility of chunking crew resource management (CRM) training into micro-size interventions and to compare different training approaches in the context of micro-learning.We evaluated whether participants in micro-learning CRM activities achieved learning objectives following training. In a between-subjects design, groups were observed for behaviour during a simulation that was part of a 15-minute modular intervention and tested for recollection afterwards.The 129 participants recruited for this study were medical students, who already had relevant experience treating patients.The experimental setting involved three 5-minute components: video, simulation, and debriefing. Different groups viewed videos involving different didactic concepts: one group observed a videotaped concrete example of a medical care team applying a CRM tool (example group), and one group observed a videotaped lecture on the same topic (lecture group).All simulations were videotaped and coded in detail for the occurrence of and time spent engaging in team behaviour and medical care. Questionnaires were administered before, immediately after, and two weeks after the intervention. We compared the groups' behaviour during the simulation (team cooperation and medical care), retention of knowledge from the training content, and results of the evaluation.Both groups exhibited most of the behaviours included in the content of the instructional videos during the simulations and recollected information 2 weeks later. The example group exhibited significantly more of the training content during the simulation and demonstrated better retention 2 weeks later. Although the example group spent more time on team coordination, there was no difference in the number of executed medical measures.Delivering CRM training in chunks of relatively short and highly standardised interventions appears feasible. In this study, the form of didactical presentation caused a difference in learning success between groups: a traditional lecture was outperformed by an instructional video demonstrating a practical example.