The importance of non-technical skills among healthcare professionals is gaining a widespread recognition as critical elements complementing the technical skills used for improving patients’ safety. These skills are typically acquired through simulation training, which emerged as an effective way to complement clinical training. Non-technical skills frequently use high-fidelity simulation followed by a facilitated discussion known as debriefing. Debriefing by a skilled facilitator is thought to be essential for effective learning through reflective processes. Unfortunately, evidence to support the elements which contributes towards the effectiveness of debriefing remains sparse. We review the studies where elements of debriefing that have been manipulated and its effectiveness on the acquisition of non-technical skills among healthcare professionals through eight publications across four different databases. Non-technical skills performance improved after manipulated debriefing such as multimedia debrief, self-led debrief or no debrief. Besides, there was no added performance when video recording was added to facilitator-led debriefing. The application of learning theory on specific elements together with the application of selected debriefing models is highly encouraging for effective debriefing.

The importance of nontechnical skills among healthcare professionals is gaining widespread recognition as criticalelements complementing technical skills that are used to improve patients’ safety. These skills are typically acquiredthrough simulation training which has emerged as an effective way to complement clinical training. Effective simulationrequires structure and effective debriefing methods to enhance its learning outcome. In previous literature, evidence of theeffectiveness of healthcare simulation was available but studies evaluating debriefing method(s) remain sparse. In thispaper, the effectiveness of debriefing methods in eight studies on the acquisition of nontechnical skills among healthcareprofessionals is reviewed. Articles published from 1st January 2016 across three different databases were referred to. Theresults of the review show a statistically significant improvement in the performance of nontechnical and technical skillsacross different professionals through various methods of debriefing. Nontechnical skills such as teamwork, effectivecommunication, decision-making, and situational awareness have improved significantly. In addition, integration ofrealism in simulation learning has begun to emerge as an effective technique of providing a real world experience.However, there was lack of detailed information on the length and type of debriefing conducted in the studies. Thesemethods clearly require further research since the key to successful simulation learning is through debriefing which isthe heart of simulation.

Introduction: Diverse tools dedicated to the assessment of various NTS components during cardiopulmonary resuscitation have been published for medical professionals, nevertheless there are no precise measures for the assessment of emergency resuscitation relevant in the context of non-medical community. The aim of the study is to combine and develop a valid and reliable nontechnical skills (NTS) tool for basic life support emergency resuscitation training via simulation learning for flight attendant. Methods: (1) Selection and combination of relevant items into a draft instrument with a UKM specialist team. (2) Obtaining the expert’s review from various specialty for content validity. (3) Instrument testing through pilot study on five recorded simulated case scenarios involving four different elements of nontechnical skills (teamwork, communication, decision making & situation awareness) which were demonstrated in a medical emergency (acute myocardial infarction) (4) Obtaining the internal consistency & inter-rater reliability of the instrument. Results: Through expert review, selected items had been found to have an excellent total content validity index of 1.00. A single mean of both raters yielded a good internal consistency of 0.77. Strong correlations of both ratings from raters in each video ranging from 0.69 to 0.93 (p < .05). There was a good inter-rater reliability (ICC 0.68) and a good agreement (Kappa 0.62 – 0.81) among raters. Conclusion: The CETAM was found to be a reliable and valid instrument and should be beneficial for the measurement of NTS, nevertheless further evaluation is required to fully determined its properties before reaching definitive conclusion.
Basic life support

Introduction: There is global support for the teaching of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in schools, and teachers are expected to play a leading role in a medical emergency. For effective resuscitation, retention of CPR knowledge after training is paramount. This study aimed at assessing the retention of CPR knowledge among student teachers at pre-, post-immediate, 8th-, and 14th-week post-training. Method: A quasi-experimental study using non-probability convenience sampling was conducted to select 41 respondents from the Department of Physical and Health Education, Faculty of Education (UiTM). A validated American Heart Association's 2015 Basic Life Support (BLS) multiple-choice questions (MCQ) were utilised to measure the retention of knowledge among the participants. Results: This study demonstrated a significant lack of CPR knowledge during pre-test with the mean scores of M=8.02 despite half of the participants had prior knowledge in CPR. Nevertheless, the paired t-test revealed a significant improvement in the post-scores following the intervention at M=16.20, t(40) = -18.56, p < 0.001, and d=3.91. The one-way RM-ANOVA results showed a decline in the retention rate at the 8th week (M=13.06; p < 0.001) and an improvement at the 14th weeks (M= 5.74; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The knowledge of CPR among the student teachers following the intervention program was appropriate, but the deterioration of retention suggested that all student teachers should undergo comprehensive routine CPR courses to avoid the immediate loss of CPR knowledge and skills. The governing bodies in Malaysia should implement CPR training as part of the curriculum for teachers.

Introduction: Malaysia has not legalized CPR teaching in the national curriculum, leaving it to school principals to implement the teaching of CPR who may have limited knowledge. This study aims to investigate Malaysian secondary school principals’ level of readiness, defined as knowledge, attitude, willingness to teach CPR, and barriers to implementation. Methods: Malaysian secondary school principals were invited to complete a survey that consisted of five parts: (1) demographics, (2) CPR knowledge, (3) attitude towards CPR, (4) willingness to teach CPR, and (5) barriers to implementing CPR teaching. Results: A total of 54 secondary school principals responded to the survey. Three (5.6%) principals passed the CPR test. More than 80% agreed CPR course is important for students, mandatory to be taken before graduation and best taught by certified teachers. Principals are willing to qualify themselves and teachers with CPR certification and to provide funding to support and hire an outsider to teach CPR courses. Funding, teachers’ readiness for skills and knowledge proficiency, and curriculum burden are perceived as potential barriers to successful CPR teaching. One-way MANOVA analysis showed that gender (p = .257), age (p = .108), qualifications (p = .321), teaching experience (p = .194), and administrative experience (p = .193) did not have a significant effect on the combined dependent variables. Conclusion: Malaysian secondary school principals are aware of the importance of CPR and were willing to acquire the knowledge, skills, funds, equipment, and support in ensuring its implementation in the national curriculum.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their parents require support from the community, and could profit from volunteer work involving the family. At the same time, university students demonstrate a high willingness to volunteer in community initiatives such as work involving children with ASD. This study aims to examine the relationship between ASD knowledge and the motivation to volunteer among university students. Students (N=150) from a private university in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, participated in this study. Instruments utilized in this study were the Stone Autism Survey and Volunteer Functions Inventory. The results indicated that a higher level of ASD knowledge was the strongest predictor of higher motivation to volunteer after adjusting for relevant demographic factors and exposure to ASD children. Meanwhile, female and Hindu participants reported a significantly higher motivation to volunteer. This study emphasizes the need to increase factual knowledge about ASD among university students, and any effort to encourage students to volunteer in helping individuals with ASD should include knowledge sharing about this population.