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Background and Aims High-fidelity simulation in medicine, and specifically in anesthesia and intensive care, is a new educational tool. In this context, a training program was designed at the Monastir anesthesia and intensive care service to train all anesthesia personnel. The main objective of this work is to identify the barriers from the learners and perspective.The secondary objectives are to describe the exposure to simulation and the staff information on this subject.

Methods An anonymous questionnaire with several items was used. The questions included demographic data, items on the information received and practical exposure to simulation, items identified as potential barriers, and items assessing satisfaction, knowledge gained, and the transfer to practice and patient care of the simulation training.

Results All doctors had heard about simulation, 86% had already seen a simulator, 78% had already attended a session, and 54% had participated as learners. The overall exposure of professionals in the service and in each category is 44% in terms of having seen a simulator, attended a session, and participated as a learner. For all professionals in the service, the fear of judgment from peers or trainers and the fear of a discrepancy with their real skills are the main perceived barriers.For professionals who had attended a session, the aspects of realism and perceived usefulness were 34% and 54%, respectively.

Conclusions The overall commitment to simulation is encouraging. This work provides an opportunity for us to revive rich exchanges in our department around simulation and to become more involved in the continuing education.