Simulation Technologies Program
What is Medical Simulation?
There are few technologies that offer the potential for widespread improvements in healthcare. The traditional apprenticeship model of medical education, with its "see one, do one, teach one" methodology of instruction, has served medicine for the past 100 years. In modern medicine, it is often difficult to even "see one" let alone do the "many" that are actually required to gain competence in more advanced skills. With simulation it is possible to experience rare events in a controlled environment and even the most complex skills can be practiced until perfected without risk to human patients.
Simulation also offers exciting research opportunities. Human factors engineering studies the way team dynamics and interaction plays roles in patient safety. Simulation can be an ideal way to study human factors because repeatability in good not only for practice but for improved statistical precision.
We feel that simulation provides one of the greatest potentials for improving the quality of medical education, improving patient safety and reducing the cost of medical errors. However, substantial research must still be done to establish the validity and reliability of simulation-based assessment and the use of simulation as a surrogate for actual patient care in patient safety and quality improvement efforts.
