In the first of three articles of particular interest to program administrators, Jane Kleinman, RN, MAOM, and Jeff Myers, MD, provide seven compelling questions that should be considered prior to implementing any simulation project. Taking the right action at the right time for the right reason in the right way...

In the second in a series of articles on medical simulation centers, Group Editor Marty Kauchak explores developments in the technologies used by these facilities’ learners. One End User’s Insights The burgeoning number of medical simulation centers around the world supports nothing less than a transformation in the healthcare community’s...

Using computational techniques, researchers have shown how a protein responsible for the maturation of the virus releases itself to initiate infection. Bioinformaticians at IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) and UPF (Pompeu Fabra University) have used molecular simulation techniques to explain a specific step in the maturation of the...

In this first year of MEdSim we have highlighted changes in medical school curriculum; discussed best practices in hospitals to reduce cost and reduce infections; highlighted association goals gleaned from conferences and articles for transforming  healthcare; discussed how to measure competency and the use of simulation as an evaluation as...

Edgar J. Figueredo M.D., Mika N. Sinanan M.D., Ph.D., Vanessa Makarewicz RN, MN, Sara Kim, Ph.D., and Andrew S. Wright M.D., discuss a three-part plan to improve patient safety surrounding Central Venous Catheterization at the Institute for Simulation and Interprofessional Studies (ISIS), University of Washington. Central Venous Catheterization (CVC) is...

John J. Schaefer, III, M.D., the Director of Medical University of South Carolina(MUSC)Simulation, describes the members’ successes in increasing simulation usage in that state.   The partners of HealthCare Simulation of South Carolina have increased the annual rate of simulation usage 20-fold in that state, reports  John J. Schaefer, III, M.D.,...

B.F Ingelson, RN, MHA and T. Natalini-Whitmore, RN, MS note that while arguments in favor of the Bar Code Medication Administration adoption to reduce medication error rates are compelling, the barriers to the system and receptivity of nursing staff must be considered.   In 2000, the report To Err Is Human:...

 Staff writer Chuck Weirauch reports on developments in the rapidly evolving serious games for healthcare learning sector. Although simulation technology has become a leading tool for the advancement of medical education and training, gaming technology has still not gained an equal level of acceptance with medical educators as its counterpart. ...

Lori Ponoroff, MEdSim Staff Writer, provides insights on the fielding of do-it-yourself simulators as instructional devices.    Budget cuts, time constraints and the peace of mind that comes with practicing by simulation instead of on patients is driving surgeons, students and instructors alike to make their own simulators. From the simplest...

Calling attention to the use of haptic feedback in training devices used in other domains, Adrian Hendrickse, B.M., FRCA and Karl Reinig, Ph.D., assert that for effective training on appropriate procedures, medical simulators should include haptic functioning.  For hundreds of years, medical professionals were trained the same way – see...