Interns' perceptions of performance and confidence in participating in and managing simulated and real cardiac arrest situations.

This study attempts to describe the effects of a computerized patient simulator education program on interns' perceptions of their own performance and confidence in managing and/or participating in a cardiac arrest incident during simulated and real events. The study design was qualitative using thematic analysis of debriefing sessions and individual interviews. The setting for the research was an education program for interns working at Southern Health, Victoria, Australia utilising a high-fidelity patient simulator. The participants were junior doctors (n = 30) in the first three-month rotation of their first postgraduate year (interns). The results describe the interns' self-reported experiences and perceptions relating to: (1) cardiac arrest experiences prior to the simulation scenario; (2) a simulated cardiac arrest scenario; (3) real-life cardiac arrest experiences after the simulation scenario. The interns expressed perceptions of improved self-confidence in: managing this particular critical situa...