Conjure up an ordinary day in a hospital emergency room: dozens, if not hundreds, of patients cross through those automatic doors needing the best possible care within the shortest possible window of time. A few come on their own. Some are brought in by friends or family members. And others are brought by emergency medical practitioners like EMTs or paramedics by way of an ambulance ride from the scene of the crisis. How can care givers anticipate the requirements of such a wide variety of patients? Is there a way for them to repeatedly practice skills and hone their care delivery system without risking an actual patient's well being? Medical simulation is a good place to start.

Medical simulation training is common in higher-education institutions, including clinical trade programs, community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities, as well as within hospitals. And yet community care givers such as law enforcement officials and paramedics may not have the chance to participate in it on a regular basis. But that's starting to change.

Imagine this scenario: a female mall patron collapses. Police are called in and they determine the woman may be having a heart attack. Paramedics arrive on the scene and confirm the diagnosis, and so they put the woman on a stretcher, load the stretcher into an ambulance, and transport her to the emergency room. The paramedicshave gathered as much information as they can from the police and will relay all relevant details to the nurses or attending physician at the hospital. The physician orders a course of treatment – and thankfully, the woman survives. Could you have guessed that this all took place within a medical simulation session? The woman suffering a heart attack is a simulated patient.

Within this medical simulation session, local police, paramedics, and doctors are all directly involved in the transportation and treatment of the simulated patient. The patient can be a high-fidelity mannequin (simulator) or a standardized patient (actor), but in either case he is treated with the attention and courtesy of a live human being. The virtual environment is drawn from reality, and when the goal of the session is to save the simulated patient's life, everyone is ready to believe the session is real.

Beyond care delivery, medical simulation gives these linked but separate groups the opportunity to practice their communication skills. Time is of the essence in any emergency medical event. From the mall administrators to the police, the police to the paramedics, and the paramedicsto the hospital nurses and physician, there are many times when communication could be compromised. But because all these avenues have been traversed during the medical simulation session, involved parties will be better able to communicate effectively in an actual event.

Medical simulation training may also be used for professional certification continued education, especially within the hospital. Skill development is an essential component for better patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, and recovery times. And all participants can be confident that the event has helped equip them with the skills they need for real time, lifesaving decision making.


About The Author:
The author of the article has extensive experience in the field of Medical Simulation Training and Nursing Simulation Scenarios.