Level of awareness of simulation-based training among clinical medicine lecturers at Kenya Medical Training College

Résumé

Simulation-based training (SBT) has emerged as a growing field in our awareness of an effective pedagogical means to improve clinical competence, patient safety, and experiential learning in medical education. Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) has invested in simulation facilities in order to support competency-based training, but the use of SBT by clinical medicine lecturers is inconsistent across campuses. There is limited empirical evidence on the factors affecting the adoption and application of SBT among lecturers in mid-level medical training institutions. This study sought to assess the level of awareness of SBT among clinical medicine lecturers at KMTC. The study was guided by the theory of innovation diffusion. The research design used was analytical and cross-sectional. The sampling techniques used were cluster and simple random. The target population included 250 lecturers of clinical medicine in 45 KMTC campuses in Kenya. A sample size was determined using Taro Yamane's formula, which generated 153 lecturers. Data collection was conducted using a structured online questionnaire through Google Forms. Data analysis was performed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 by means of descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, and inferential statistics, including regression analysis. The findings revealed that most respondents agreed SBT provides safe development of clinical skills, as students can make errors without harm to patients, with 24.2% indicating agreement and 66.0% strong agreement. Knowledge of KMTC or national policies/guidelines promoting simulation in medical education was more variable (agree, 29.4%; strongly agree, 22.2%). There was high conceptual awareness about the patient safety advantage, with 90.2% of lecturers agreeing that SBT allows risk-free practice of clinical skills. Regression analysis revealed that the level of awareness of SBT among clinical medicine lecturers predicted 9.3% of the utilisation of SBT (β=.305, R²=.093, p<.001). The study concludes that KMTC clinical medicine lecturers' awareness of simulation-based training is pedagogically informed but operationally limited. Despite lecturers acknowledging the advantages of SBT as a method of patient safety and procedural competence, knowledge of particular modalities and individual exposure is low, which leads to a hesitant and rare use. The study recommends that KMTC need to shift the indicative awareness-building on theoretical advocacy into practical pedagogy by instituting mandatory, cadre-specific faculty development programmes. They should focus on practical training on scenario design, facilitation, and structured debriefing and mentoring by the early adopters. A combination of awareness measures and utilisation results from institutional monitoring will make it possible to provide targeted assistance.