Effect of motor imagery and actual practice on learning professional medical skills
Background The peripheral venous catheter (PVC) is the most frequently used medical device in hospital care to administer intravenous treatment or to take blood samples by introducing a catheter into a vein. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of motor imagery (MI) associated with actual training on the learning of PVC insertion into a simulated venous system.
Method: This is a prospective monocentre study in 3rd year medical students. Forty medical students were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 20) performing both real practice and MI of PVC insertion or to the control group (n = 20) trained through real practice only. We also recruited a reference group of 20 professional nurses defining the benchmark for a target performance.
Results The experimental group learned the PVC insertion faster than the control group in the first learning phase (p < 0.001), reaching the expected reference level after 4 sessions (p = .87) whereas the control group needed 5 sessions to reach the same level (p = .88). Both groups were at the same level at the end of the scheduled training.
Conclusions MI may thus improve professional motor skills learning, and therefore limit the time needed to reach the expected level. Therefore, MI may strengthen technical medical skill learning.
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Posted 16 Apr, 2020
On 18 Jan, 2021
On 10 May, 2020
Received 03 May, 2020
Received 03 May, 2020
Received 03 May, 2020
On 27 Apr, 2020
On 25 Apr, 2020
Invitations sent on 24 Apr, 2020
On 24 Apr, 2020
On 13 Apr, 2020
On 12 Apr, 2020
On 12 Apr, 2020
On 10 Apr, 2020
Effect of motor imagery and actual practice on learning professional medical skills
Posted 16 Apr, 2020
On 18 Jan, 2021
On 10 May, 2020
Received 03 May, 2020
Received 03 May, 2020
Received 03 May, 2020
On 27 Apr, 2020
On 25 Apr, 2020
Invitations sent on 24 Apr, 2020
On 24 Apr, 2020
On 13 Apr, 2020
On 12 Apr, 2020
On 12 Apr, 2020
On 10 Apr, 2020
Background The peripheral venous catheter (PVC) is the most frequently used medical device in hospital care to administer intravenous treatment or to take blood samples by introducing a catheter into a vein. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of motor imagery (MI) associated with actual training on the learning of PVC insertion into a simulated venous system.
Method: This is a prospective monocentre study in 3rd year medical students. Forty medical students were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 20) performing both real practice and MI of PVC insertion or to the control group (n = 20) trained through real practice only. We also recruited a reference group of 20 professional nurses defining the benchmark for a target performance.
Results The experimental group learned the PVC insertion faster than the control group in the first learning phase (p < 0.001), reaching the expected reference level after 4 sessions (p = .87) whereas the control group needed 5 sessions to reach the same level (p = .88). Both groups were at the same level at the end of the scheduled training.
Conclusions MI may thus improve professional motor skills learning, and therefore limit the time needed to reach the expected level. Therefore, MI may strengthen technical medical skill learning.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4