Simulation test: can medical devices pass?

Abstract

Simulation-based education and training can enhance healthcare professionals’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in a safe environment, without patient harm. Traditionally, simulators are used to train or measure procedural-based skills and teamwork behaviours. Studies have demonstrated that some skills trained using simulation are transferred to the real world; furthermore, inferences can be drawn between performance levels.1\n\nWhile improving individual and team performance, the overall philosophy of simulation is to develop safer healthcare for professionals and to increase patient safety. However, actual robust measures of safety gains directly attributable to simulation training are often difficult to measure. Simulation centres with their expertise and technologies could benefit patient safety in additional ways by investigating and empirical testing of the usability, suitability and safety of medical devices. Similarly, the human factors aspects and training needs required for the safe and effective use of medical devices can be elucidated within the simulation environment. Additionally, early preclinical testing of medical devices in the product cycle within the simulated environment offers the opportunity to avoid costly mistakes or poor designs from progressing further downstream in the development cycle.2\n\nMany patients exhibit changes in respiratory rate (RR) in the hours leading to a cardiac arrest, and also in the early onset of sepsis and other heterogeneous medical conditions. Early detection of changes …