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

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), <i>t</i>(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.