THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will unveil the “simulation lab” and a PET scan at Regional Cancer Centre here on Friday.
Dr Rachel Cherian Koshy, the professor and head of the department of anaesthesiology at RCC, says simulators are tools for effective learning experience.
Clinicians can experience difficulties of patient care without putting patients at undue risk. While simulation training does not replace actual clinical experience, it allows for an assimilation of core knowledge, psychomotor skills and non-technical skills such as communication, team work and leadership.
“Imagine a mannequin that can breathe, whose pulse you can feel, and speaks! It can correct you if you go wrong anywhere and can advise you on how to proceed. For example if the endotracheal tube through which general anaesthesia is given is in the oesophagus, well you better be forewarned”, says Dr Koshy.
In addition, the simulator offers on demand reproducible case scenarios and individualised learning objectives in a controlled risk-free environment. Improved learner confidence and clinical competency will translate into better patient safety and quality of care.
Simulation is the artificial replication of sufficient elements of a real world domain to achieve a stated goal. Simulations are valuable in research to study human behaviour and failure modes under conditions of critical incidents and in performance assessment.
The most important part of simulator training that goes beyond technical skills is the self-reflective, often video-assisted debriefing session after the scenario.
Systematic realistic simulation-based continuing education is useful not only for anaesthetists, but for all doctors, nurses and other health care workers. Teaching of basic life support can be extended to lay people, high school students and college students.
The new facility has been supported by the Fund for Improvement of Science and Technology Infrastructure in higher educational institution (FIST) grant of the Union Department of Science and Technology.
