Should we add smells in simulation training? A systematic review of smells in healthcare-related simulation training

Abstract

Olfactory stimuli are rarely used in healthcare-related simulation training. Their addition may improve simulator validity, biographical memory formation and coping mechanisms for exposure to strong malodours. Some military simulators already employ smells in simulation training, and the technology and principles may be used to cross over into medical simulation training. We set out to determine if there is evidence to suggest that smell should be routinely incorporated into medical simulation training. We carried out a systematic review of the literature relating to use of olfactory stimuli in medical simulation training, and identified 5 relevant papers. 3 were experimental studies and 2 were observational studies. The results of the experimental studies were mixed, though there were some indications that the use of a clinically relevant smell instead of a congruent background smell may be more effective. We discuss the benefits of the inclusion of smell in simulation training and identify that there are currently few high-quality studies addressing the use of smell in medical simulation training.

An Overview of Olfactory Displays in Education and Training

“…They showed that adding simulated odors to a virtual reality medical simulator effectively complements medical diagnoses and enhance training skills in medicine students. Kent et al (2016) [90] discussed the use of olfactory stimuli in healthcare simulators, carrying out a systematic review of literature identifying five relevant papers that described the use of smell in medical simulations. They found that olfaction is very rarely used in medical simulations and found mixed results from the five reviewed papers.…”

A SWOT Analysis of the Field of Virtual Reality for Firefighter Training

“…Haptics is only one promising area that could greatly improve the immersion of VR training. Research into olfactory stimulation in the domain of medical simulation training has been promising with the use of smells benefiting training outcomes due to better recall of knowledge, improved physical fidelity and the desensitization to malodours (Kent et al, 2016 ). The use of olfactory stimulation in VR has been shown to have similar psychological effects as traditional stimuli, e.g., enabling the elicitation of food cravings (Tuanquin et al, 2018 ) or alcohol cravings (Bordnick et al, 2008 ).…”

Construcción y validación de escenarios simulados con la presencia de olores

“…Siendo así, la vivencia del alumno en un escenario clínico simulado con la presencia de olores desagradables proporciona el entrenamiento del olfato, que es utilizado de manera constante por el enfermero en sus vivencias clínicas. 5 tabla 2: Índice de validez de contenido del proceso de validación de los escenarios entre los expertos y los estudiantes, en relación con los ítems propuestos por…”

“…Un pequeño agente en el aire es suficiente para desencadenar una serie de respuestas humanas y proporcionar sensaciones y expresiones comunicacionales agradables o desagradables, relacionadas a los diversos tipos de estímulos. 5 En procedimientos que presentan olores desagradables es común el sentimiento de malestar tanto del profesional como del propio paciente, lo que puede influenciar en la calidad del cuidado desde el punto de vista de alguno o de ambos. 6 Esos aspectos no siempre son percibidos por los profesionales y tampoco son explorados durante el proceso de formación.…”