Abstract W P195: Standardized Patient Simulation Can Be Incorporated Into Emergency Medicine Resident Training on Performance of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale

Introduction: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) quantifies physical impairment caused by stroke. Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians must be competent to perform the NIHSS as scale cut points are utilized to identify patients with acute ischemic stroke who may be candidates for thrombolytic therapy. Simulation is a teaching method that integrates imitation of real life scenarios into educational exercises. This study discerned if standardized patient simulation can be adopted into an educational exercise aimed at training EM residents to adequately perform the NIHSS. Methods: This preliminary study was completed with EM residents, in various years of training, from a single academic center. All residents attended a lecture on performance of the NIHSS. Each resident then performed the NIHSS on 2 patients with chronic, fixed neurological deficits. Residents were observed by a NIHSS certified healthcare professional who gave immediate feedback on examination technique. Data was analyzed w...