Soizic de Beaucorps is a paediatric nurse at Hospital Necker Enfants-Malades, France since 2014. She works in the Federation of Surgicales Intensive Care Units wich associates the Polyvalent Intensive Care Unit and the Neurosurgicale Intensive Care Unit. The latter is the Paediatric Trauma Center Reference for a large part of France. She is part of the “Groupe Communication et Simulation en Pediatrie” in whose name she is speaking today. She has graduated from Paris-Descartes University and serves as an instructor in simulation since this year.

Effective communication with parents is a cornerstone of management in pediatric intensive care. It enables a relationship of trust with concerned families. Some caregivers, while aware of the importance of communication, sometimes feel helpless when confronted with difficult situations. With this in mind, our service set up training courses aiming to improve communication between health care teams and families by exposing caregivers to complex situations thereby allowing them gain experience in communication. Simulation training was chosen for its advantages of concrete, practical application and a safe learning environment. These training sessions were composed of two complementary parts: the first interactive and theoretical part enabled individuals acquire a basic knowledge in communication, the second part empowered practical application through simulation sessions. In each simulation, professional actors of Le Rire Medecin played the role of parents while learners played the role of caregiver. At the end of simulation, actors provided general feedback to learners which in turn allowed them to explore their own practices. The presence of a psychologist allowed articulation of feelings in a secure environment. This synergistic method enabled caregivers to self improve significantly. Pre and post-tests were completed by the learners, highlighting the impact of this method as well as allowing them to evaluate the quality of training. By focusing on an individual’s interpersonal skills, simulation training allows improvement in professional practices. It is perceived as very useful by participants, allowing them to increase their professional capabilities and ensure the establishment of trust-based care relationships with families.