Mindset Moderates Healthcare Providers' Longitudinal Performance in a Digital Neonatal Resuscitation Simulator

Chang Lu; Simran K Ghoman; Maria Cutumisu; Georg M Schmölzer

doi:10.3389/fped.2020.594690

Mindset Moderates Healthcare Providers' Longitudinal Performance in a Digital Neonatal Resuscitation Simulator

Front Pediatr. 2021 Feb 16:8:594690. doi: 10.3389/fped.2020.594690. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Chang Lu^{1

2}, Simran K Ghoman^{3

4}, Maria Cutumisu^{1

2

3

5}, Georg M Schmölzer^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Research in Applied Measurement and Evaluation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
² Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
³ Centre for the Studies of Asphyxia and Resuscitation, Neonatal Research Unit, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
⁵ Department of Computing Science, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Simulation education can benefit healthcare providers (HCPs) by providing opportunities to practice complex neonatal-resuscitation tasks in low-stake environments. To our knowledge, no study investigated the role of growth mindset on longitudinal performance on neonatal resuscitation before and after simulation-based training. Objectives: This study examines whether 1) the RETAIN digital/table-top simulators facilitate HCPs' neonatal resuscitation knowledge gain, retention, and transfer and 2) growth mindset moderates HCPs' longitudinal performance in neonatal resuscitation. Methods: Participants were n = 50 HCPs in a tertiary perinatal center in Edmonton, Canada. This longitudinal study was conducted in three stages including 1) a pretest and a mindset survey, immediately followed by a posttest using the RETAIN digital simulator from April to August 2019; 2) a 2-month delayed posttest using the same RETAIN neonatal resuscitation digital simulator from June to October 2019; and 3) a 5-month delayed posttest using the low-fidelity table-top neonatal resuscitation digital simulator from September 2019 to January 2020. Three General Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) repeated-measure analyses investigated HCPs' performance on neonatal resuscitation over time and the moderating effect of growth mindset on the association between test time points and task performance. Results: Compared with their pretest performance, HCPs effectively improved their neonatal resuscitation knowledge after the RETAIN digital simulation-based training on the immediate posttest (Est = 1.88, p < 0.05), retained their knowledge on the 2-month delayed posttest (Est = 1.36, p < 0.05), and transferred their knowledge to the table-top simulator after 5 months (Est = 2.01, p < 0.05). Although growth mindset did not moderate the performance gain from the pretest to the immediate posttest, it moderated the relationship between HCPs' pretest and long-term knowledge retention (i.e., the interaction effect of mindset and the 2-month posttest was significant: Est = 0.97, p < 0.05). The more they endorsed a growth mindset, the better the HCPs performed on the posttest, but only when they were tested after 2 months. Conclusions: Digital simulators for neonatal resuscitation training can effectively facilitate HCPs' knowledge gain, maintenance, and transfer. Besides, growth mindset shows a positive moderating effect on the longitudinal performance improvement in simulation-based training. Future research can be conducted to implement growth-mindset interventions promoting more effective delivery of technology-enhanced, simulation-based training and assessment.

Keywords: computer-based game simulation; digital simulation; mindset; neonatal resuscitation; neonatal resuscitation program; performance; serious games; simulation based medical education.