EAST multicenter trial of simulation-based team training for pediatric trauma: Resuscitation task completion is highly variable during simulated traumatic brain injury resuscitation

Background: Best practices for benchmarking the efficacy of simulation-based training programs are not well defined. This study sought to assess feasibility of standardized data collection with multicenter implementation of simulation-based training, and to characterize variability in pediatric trauma resuscitation task completion associated with program characteristics. Methods: A prospective multicenter observational cohort of resuscitation teams (N = 30) was used to measure task completion and teamwork during simulated resuscitation of a child with traumatic brain injury. A survey was used to measure center-specific trauma volume and simulation-based training program characteristics among participating centers. Results: No task was consistently performed across all centers. Teamwork skills were associated with faster time to computed tomography notification (r = −0.51, p < 0.01). Notification of the operating room by the resuscitation team occurred more frequently in in situ simulation than in laboratory-based simulation (13/22 versus 0/8, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Multicenter implementation of a standardized pediatric trauma resuscitation simulation scenario is feasible. Standardized data collection showed wide variability in simulated resuscitation task completion.