Abstract

Introduction and object: Nowadays, cardiac surgery simulation training has increased significantly. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cardiac surgery simulation training on the knowledge of operating room technologists. Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 30 operating room technologists working in open heart surgery hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. The research tool included a demographic characteristics form and a researcher-made questionnaire used to assess the operating room technologists' level of knowledge about the cardiac surgery. First, the demographic characteristics form and a questionnaire of knowledge about the stages of cardiac surgery were completed by the participants. Then, using the simulator software, samples were trained in eight sessions and the questionnaire of knowledge about the stages of cardiac surgery was re-completed by the samples. Descriptive statistics and paired t-test were used to analyze the data. P <0.05 was considered as a significant level. Results: The mean score of operating room technologists' knowledge of the cardiac surgery stages was 2.09 before the simulation training and it increased to 2.83 after training. Conclusion: The cardiac surgery simulation training can enhance the knowledge of the operating room technologists. Therefore, it is recommended that this method to be used to train this group.