The Confidence to Save a Life: Caregiver Simulation Project

The Caregiver Simulation Program at Children’s Minnesota is a nationally recognized program that hopes to be “every family’s essential partner in raising healthier children.” Currently Caregiver Simulation serves patients with critical congenital heart disease being discharged on the home monitoring program, patients being discharged with a tracheostomy and chronic ventilation, and patients being sent home with an enteral tube for feeding. The program offers caregivers the invaluable opportunity to practice the skills they will need to care for their child at home and validates their ability to give their child what they need.

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) funded the creation of a caregiver simulation program for children with complex cardiac conditions and gastronomy (GT)/feeding tubes in 2020. Each year since then, CHA has funded the program’s services and growth. What began as bedside demonstrations and practice rounds expanded to include video resources from family peers, incorporation of complex skills and emergency scenarios, and programming inclusive of additional needs, equipment, and devices.

According to Caregiver Simulation Program Lead Heidi Shafland, APRN CNS, the program has reduced caregiver anxiety by 25% based on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) tool, fewer calls regarding home monitoring care, and reports of high levels of confidence in families’ abilities to care for their infants at home.

“It’s hard to put into words the change we notice in families before and after the simulation experience,” says Shafland. “The most common thing I hear after the simulation is, “Let us go home! I thought I knew everything I had to do, now I am sure!” The whole demeanor is changed. They walk a little taller, seem happier, and are the advocates their children need.”

Recently, the team at Children’s received the following update from a one of those families on how they benefited from Caregiver Simulation:

“Hey Melissa! This is Amber.* I thought I would reach out and thank you EXTRA for your hard work to train Paul and I on emergent situations!! I really do appreciate the extra simulation knowing in hindsight that this was what gave me confidence to save Aaron's life. Aaron had 2 cardiac arrests last week on Wednesday. He went unconscious after trying to revive him by bagging. I got him back with just that, but then EMT's arrived, and we did a trach change since we didn't feel like we were getting enough air in, and after the new trach was put in he went unconscious again and we performed CPR for about 10 more minutes. They gave 2 doses of Epi and he came back with a pulse.

Today, I am soo thankful and happy to report he is ok. No ribs broken, no fluid in the heart or chest cavity, everything went soo smoothly!!

He's at [our local hospital] and working on recovering from Rhino virus. Of course, we have learned sooo much in the short amount of time home, but I don't know what we would have done without extra training on emergency situations.

Love,

Aaron’s family”

The Caregiver Simulation Program trains more than one hundred families each year, providing them with the skills not only to survive but also to thrive. They’re planning to continue to grow to help more families, in more ways.

“The most important lesson we have learned, thanks to CHA, is providing simulation for families is the gold standard in discharge education,” says Shafland.



The Caregiver Simulation Program at Children’s Minnesota is one of CHA’s Legacy Program Partners. You can ensure these services not only remain available but also have the opportunity to expand by donating today.

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) is a fundraising and resource 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, MN dedicated to supporting holistic pediatric healthcare services and programs rarely covered by insurance.

*All name and identifying details changed to protect family and patient privacy.