Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Simulation-Based Translational Research: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Translational research has been identified as a research priority for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). Despite a larger focus on translational research in recent years, the overall amount of simulation-based translational research remains low. Greater understanding of how to approach translational simulation is required to inform novice simulation and translational researchers. This study sought to answer the following research questions: How do simulation experts describe the barriers and facilitators to implementing translational simulation programs? How do simulation experts describe their various approaches to implementing translational simulation programs? What recommendations do simulation experts describe for overcoming barriers to implementing translational simulation programs?

Methods: A qualitative instrumental case study was used to elicit multiple instances of translational simulation research to gather an in-depth description from study participants. Three data sources were used: documents, semistructured interviews, and a focus group.

Results: Data analyses revealed 5 major themes: clarifying goals and definitions, special considerations, social networking, research, and factors external to the simulation program.

Conclusions: Key findings include a lack of a standardized definitions for translational simulation and simulation-based translational research, the challenge of demonstrating the value of translational simulation, and the need for translational simulation programs to be integrated into departmental quality, patient safety, and risk management work. The findings and advice from the experts in this research can assist new researchers or those encountering challenges in implementing translational simulations.