Point of Care Programmes
What is "Point of Care" Simulation?
Point Of Care (POC) simulation training involves carrying out scenario-based training in the normal clinical environment, which we call the ‘patient point of care’.
By carrying out the training in the staff’s normal workplace, the training can become incorporated into their normal work routine. In addition, because this training takes place within the hospital, it allows for more flexibility to adapt depending on the workload and the needs of the staff.
Another advantage to this training is that the employees are already familiar with their surroundings and the equipment they will be using, which adds to the realism of the scenarios. However, this also means that various clinical procedures can be tested and improved upon wherever is necessary.
In addition to this, the trainees are accessible to all staff members throughout the hospital, which allows for a more realistic Multidisciplinary Team approach to the training.
This area of training is split into 2 different programmes:
Adult Programme
The Adult POC Programme aims to improve patient care by providing staff members with realistic opportunities to practice and develop their clinical assessment and team-working skills. This has also been important in identifying system errors and reducing patient harm.
The Adult Programme team work with various departments within the Trust to identify any specific training needs or situations that could be improved. These include both clinical and non-clinical situations. Over 100 staff members are trained each month through simulation scenarios and they are given a safe space to discuss their experience and any problems they faced in the scenarios.
The programme aims to involve all members of Multidisciplinary Teams (MDT). The benefit of this is that it helps colleagues appreciate and understand the different roles within the Trust and their different approaches to patient care. This can also help develop a variety of solutions to problems encountered in the MDT’s everyday work. We also work regularly to improve our programmes and, as such, the Adult POC Programme has been shown to increase both staff confidence and skills, which means our patients receive better care.
The programme began in the Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department and Medical Admissions Unit, but has continued to spread and aims to cover all areas within the University Hospital Bristol and Weston Trust.
Currently, training is being carried out in the following areas:
- Bristol Royal Infirmary
- Bristol Heart Institute
- Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre
- South Bristol Community Hospital
- Bristol Eye Hospital
- University of Bristol Dental Hospital
- Weston General Hospital
Paediatric Programme
The objective of the Paediatric Point of Care Programme is to bring Point of Care simulation to all areas where children and young people are treated and seen within University Hospitals Bristol. This is mainly within Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, but children and young people are often seen in other areas of the Trust too. So, we aim to provide training to all staff who may be involved in their care. This helps to ensure that our paediatric patients and their families receive the best and safest care possible.
We also liaise closely with the various areas we work with to ensure the scenarios are relevant and meet the desired learning outcomes. We also aim to make the scenarios multidisciplinary, this means that the staff can practise in their usual teams and interact with other professionals, as they would in their day-to-day roles.
In addition, we work with the patient safety and governance teams so that we can keep informed on where we need to focus our training. This further improves patient care and allows our staff to be prepared for various situations they may encounter.
On average, 100 staff members receive Point of Care simulation training per month. This includes: nurses, health care assistants, doctors, physiotherapists, other allied health care professionals and non-clinical staff.
