Progressive Medical Simulation: An Analysis of the Integration of Progressive and Personalized Learning in Central Line Simulators

Progressive learning gradually increases task difficulty as students advance in their education. One area that can benefit from it is medical education since it can optimize medical trainees’ skill acquisition. While progressive learning can allow for skill transfer to patient encounters, personalized learning increases the efficiency and effectiveness of learning. However, it is not well understood the number of practice trials needed to reach proficiency. To evaluate whether progressive and personalized learning can enhance medical trainees’ learning gains, the learning interface of the Dynamic Haptic Robotic Trainer (DHRT) for Central Venous Catheterization was assessed. Results showed that residents’ performance on the DHRT did not differ based on task difficulty and residents’ performance was as effective with less number of trials. The findings imply a need to integrate progressive and personalized learning on the DHRT simulator to ensure that residents are fully prepared for any patient scenario in a real-life encounter.