Medical simulation for professional development—science and practice

Abstract

From the earliest days of medical practice, when surgeons used cadavers to explore the possibilities of surgical intervention, simulation has been employed to advance the practice of health care. In the last 10 years, technological advances have allowed for a wider availability and greater realism of simulation, and this has encouraged a great expansion in its use. Simulation aims to create a virtuous cycle of professional development to improve patient outcomes. Although it seems eminently logical to believe that simulation will result in better outcomes, there is a need to test these new training interventions rigorously to be sure of their worth and to understand any limitations. The purpose of this BJOG supplement is to examine in depth several paradigms of medical simulation within maternity care and gynaecology, in different settings, looking at what can be achieved and how. In this opening review, we look at the potential use of medical simulation in broad terms and describe the types of evidence that can be employed to support its use.

Design and Evaluation of a Simulation for Pediatric Dentistry in Virtual Worlds

“…Role-play is used mainly for training in interviewing techniques [27] and other nontechnical skills such as communication [28,29]. An instructor and other students can be online too, so that discussions and team activities are feasible.…”

Emergency obstetric simulation training: How do we know where we are going, if we don't know where we have been?

“…It has been reported that feedback and debriefing are the principle sources of learning in simulation training and that skilled feedback slows the rate of decay of clinical skills acquired via simulation‐based learning . It has been pointed out that embarrassment or fear of ridicule is major barrier to learning in simulation environments and that course participants have concerns in these areas prior to training . Small units can have practical difficulties in releasing staff from clinical duties to allow participation in training activities.…”

Perspectivas sobre o uso das diretrizes de desenho instrucional para a simulação na saúde: revisão da literatura

“…Nas últimas três a quatro décadas, o treinamento na área da saúde com o uso das estratégias de simulação tem crescido de forma exponencial em todo o mundo, levando a inovações tecnológicas e também a demandas orçamentárias crescentes [1][2][3][4][5]. Apesar de impulsionado pelo argumento legítimo de que o uso da simulação proporciona uma maior segurança aos pacientes, as evidências quanto a sua efetividade ainda não estão bem estabelecidas [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”