A9 Development of a new tool for self-assessment of confidence, expectations/satisfaction and performance for cupping therapy simulation training modules
Tamer Aboushanab, Mohammed Khalil, Ahmed El-Olemy, Saud AlSanad
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Background: Simulation is considered a safe training method. Simulation training technology is a popular method of learning for healthcare professionals worldwide [1]. It includes performing a medical procedure on simulators to increase the confidence and skills of trainees before conducting the procedures on humans [2]. Cupping therapy (Hijama) is a widely used traditional healing therapy which is performed by applying cups on selected body points by sucking air to induce sub-atmospheric pressure inside the cup either by heat or suction [3]. The use of simulation in cupping therapy training was an innovation developed by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), Ministry of Health (MOH), Saudi Arabia [4]. There is no available validated evaluation tools for assessment of cupping simulation learning due to the novelty of this method. An internal committee of NCCAM, Saudi Arabia developed this questionnaire, as a part of the evaluation process of their training courses.
Objectives: To discuss the development of a new tool which can be used for evaluation of cupping therapy simulation-based learning.
Methods: Fifteen items in the questionnaire were divided into three scales. The three scales were confidence, expectations/satisfaction, and performance. Each scale included five questions and used 5 Likert scale responses from 1 to 5 [Fig. 1]. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Software Version 20 was used for data entry, management and analysis. Internal reliability of the questionnaire and scales was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha test.
Results: 50 healthcare professionals participated in the study. They were selected from the trainees of the simulation courses provided by NCCAM as a part of the program’s evaluation. Cronbach's alpha of items deleted were ranged from 0.91 to 0.92 for each item. Cronbach's alpha of confidence scale was 0.85, expectations/satisfaction scale was 0.81, performance scale was 0.94, and total evaluation was 0.92. These values showed good internal consistency of the scales.
Conclusion: Cupping Simulation Training Evaluation Questionnaire (CSTEQ) is a promising new tool for evaluating self-reporting of confidence, expectations/satisfaction and performance of trainees. It may be used as a tool for improvement of cupping simulation training programs. Further large scale trials, and validation studies should be conducted.