Pt. Simulator or Annie goes Techno

rninformatics, DNP, RN · Aug 3, 2004

from Ihealthbeat

Patient Simulators Enhance Medical Training

August 03, 2004

Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D., has begun using a computerized patient simulator as a medical education aide, AP/Aberdeen American News reports.

http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/9300819.htm

The device can simulate a range of medical conditions and is designed to help paramedics, nurses and other emergency medicine workers. Other models can be used to teach students studying surgery or pediatric medicine.

Medical Education Technologies developed the device, which breathes, has a heartbeat and reacts to procedures. A grant helped pay for the $52,000 simulator. More advanced models can cost up to $200,000 (Haugen, AP/Aberdeen American News, 8/2).

Called "Stan," or "standard man," the simulator is used in 370 teaching hospitals and medical schools around the world. Instructors control Stan using software on an Apple Mac G4 and can choose the dummy's name, age, gender, a brief medical history and complaints. The company makes an updated model of Stan every 18 months (iHealthBeat, 6/14). It will introduce a baby simulator early next year, and it also has developed a dog simulator for veterinary students (AP/Aberdeen American News, 8/2).

The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria is considering purchasing several $100,000 patient simulators, which "provide all the abnormalities a doctor in training could want," the Springfield State Journal-Register reports. The simulators, which were recently on display at the medical college, can store real patient data in a computer that controls each device (Tarter, Springfield State Journal-Register, 7/17).

The Washoe Medical Center in Reno, Nev., has begun using a patient simulator to help physicians gain angioplasty experience without the risk of patient harm, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports.

http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/07/28/76654.php

Physicians work on a Boston Scientific simulator and use a program by Medical Simulation that presents them with problems that can occur during angioplasty procedures (Dela Vega, Reno Gazette-Journal, 7/29).