Healthcare Simulation Week Moving towards a better healthcare system September 17 – 21, 2018

Dr. Ramya De Silva addressing the event

Introducing a new revolution into the medical realm of knowledge, ‘Simulation in Healthcare’ is the modern trend that promises to deliver an optimum healthcare service to all patients devoid of mistakes, undue delays and medical negligence. Simulation in Healthcare delivers a helping hand to rectify the errors that are made in the process of learning, especially in the context of medical practice and training sessions. While such errors can harm a patient, it is said that the risk of dying from an air crash is 1 in 10 million whereas the risk of dying from a medical error is 1 in 300. Simulation in Healthcare helps in preventing such deaths. The Healthcare Simulation Week is commemorated globally from September 17-21 in a quest to promote simulation,which improves the safety standards, efficacy and efficiency in healthcare delivery. The newly formed Sri Lanka Association of Simulation in Healthcare hosted an event to promote the concept of ‘Simulation in Healthcare’ at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children early this week; in a bid to raise awareness on healthcare simulation in Sri Lanka.   

Demonstration of a healthcare simulation

The Founder President of the Sri Lanka Association for Simulation in Healthcare and Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Ramya De Silva has played an instrumental role in introducing the concept of healthcare simulation into the field of Paediatrics during her tenure as the President of the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians. Addressing the event, Dr. De Silva said that when the trainees are confident and competent in their skills with repeated training on the models/mannequins, they can start their well practised skills on real patients. The term, “High-Fidelity Simulation’ is used when the models used for simulation are very much similar to real patients and the training atmosphere used, mimics an actual hospital scenario. Explaining that High – Fidelity Simulation is increasingly popular in developed countries, Dr. De Silva said that it is used in various fields of healthcare ranging from medical to nursing and pharmacy fields.   

“Simulation is a training and feedback method in which trainees practise tasks and procedures in real life scenarios using models with feedback from observers, other team members and video cameras, to improve skills. It helps the trainees to acquire patient care skills in a safe and risk free environment. Simulation can capture a wide variety of patient problems more readily; otherwise the trainee has to wait for a real encounter which could be a life-threatening patient problem. Patient safety is one of the most compelling reasons to embrace simulation into healthcare training” Dr. De Silva briefed.   

Dr. De Silva assisted by fellow medical professionals while enacting a simulation session

Providing an example, Dr. De Silva further explained how simulation works in an actual hospital setup, in the event a critical patient needing urgent medical attention is admitted to the hospital.   

“The nurse will understand the critical condition of the patient who is admitted to the hospital and will make arrangements to do the needful for the patient. A concept known as ‘De-briefing’ will be introduced to the medical staff, where every medical professional from the attendants, to the nurses and the doctors will be made aware of their roles in a crisis situation, especially until a senior doctor arrives at the scenario. In the meantime, it is also important to ensure that the parents of the sick, young patient is calmed down as it would help in carrying out the treatments in a much smooth and organized manner void of their constant intervention. It is crucial that first-aid should be administered to a critical patient who has just been admitted to the hospital prior to going in search of a doctor to attend to the patient first hand- this helps in eliminating the risks of undue delay that may be caused during the lookout for a doctor, which in return might result even in further deterioration of the patient’s health condition otherwise. Hence, during simulation sessions these drawbacks can be identified and minimized early enough in order to avoid repeating such mistakes when attending to an actual patient in a real hospital scenario” the doctor said.   

‘High-Fidelity Simulation’ is used when the models used for simulation are very much similar to real patients’

Elucidating further she said that over the years, medical professionals have practised their skills on the patient. “When we are practising on the patient most of the time any learner will make a error, which is often the human nature. In order to minimize the errors we make on patients, these training procedures can be practised on a simulation set up. All over the world, the Healthcare Simulation Week is happening commencing from September17 – 21. By conducting a simulation, we try to ensure the patient safety in addition to providing a better healthcare service.   

Dr. De Silva demonstarting a healthcare simulation session to the medical staff

In Sri Lanka we have just started simulation. It was introduced into the paediatric field in 2016 with the help of the Bristol Medical Simulation Council. There were a few training sessions and the last session was held a week back. We got the best training experience and had a group of master trainers (advanced instructors) to help us with simulation in healthcare. They will spread the concept of simulation to the rest of the country.   

“All these years we have been providing services to our patients. However, by embracing simulation now we are trying to give the best care to our patients while ensuring their safety to the optimum,” the doctor concluded.