# Simulated Learning for Real-World Skills: Evaluating the Impact of Pediatric Informed Consent Training on Learner Communication in a Simulated Emergency Room

## TL;DR

This study shows that teaching medical trainees how to obtain parental consent improves their communication skills in simulated pediatric emergency scenarios.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that structured education on pediatric informed consent improves communication outcomes in simulated emergency settings.

## Key findings

- Structured education on obtaining parental consent improved communication scores in a simulated ER setting.
- Trainees who received education before simulation performed significantly better than those who did not.
- The study found a statistically significant difference in communication scores between the two groups.

## Abstract

Informed consent is an integral part of medical care and can be especially complicated in the care of the pediatric population where adult caregivers provide consent. Despite the complexity and importance required in obtaining parental consent, many healthcare trainees (students and residents) do not feel comfortable securing consent. Obtaining informed consent is often not a standard part of the medical education curriculum, which adds to this level of discomfort. This study measured communication outcomes during obtaining informed consent during a simulated ER setting for 200 medical professional students when given a structured didactic curriculum. Results showed that in comparing the groups of those who received the intervention after obtaining consent with those who obtained the intervention before the consent, an independent t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in scores between the groups who did not complete the education module before completing the simulation (n=42, mean = 0.627, s.d. = 0.127) and the groups who did receive the education model before completing the simulation (n=42, mean = 0.685, s.d. = 0.136), t(82) = 2.023, p = 0.023, with a small effect size. The results of this study show that incorporating structured and formal didactic teaching modality about obtaining parental consent for pediatric populations can lead to better communication outcomes.