Medical simulation makes it possible to train practical skills and clinical decision-making, prepare for critical incidents and thereby increase patient safety.
Simulation is today a crucial part of the education of persons working in aviation, space travel, navigation and process and nuclear industries. In commercial and military aviation, team training, also called CRM - Crew Resource Management, is applied in order to train teamwork, co-operation, leadership and communication within the crew. In 1990, David Gaba was inspired to use CRM in anaesthesia and he introduced advanced simulators to train anaesthesiologist as well as anaesthetic and intensive care nurses in teamwork, diagnostic strategies, decision-making and treatment in critical situations.
Research has shown that continuous education and maintenance of skills in diagnostics and treatment of serious and/or rare incidents are necessary in the health care system. Especially in the case of serious or rare incidents, the health care personnel can lack routine and experiences. Furthermore, the possibility for supervision and debriefing has had a low priority in relation to the serious and/or rare incidents. Thus, by using simulation to train unintended and critical incidents it becomes possible to create a more professional approach to the serious and/or rare incidents and to reduce the number of critical situations. Medical simulation makes it possible to create a working situation that reflects the real situation in the clinic. The strength of medical simulation is the possibility to train practical skills and clinical decision-making without exposing the patients to risks. Furthermore, health care personnel can use simulation to train and develop their competencies in their own speed and in a safe environment. Training in the acute situation, where time is a critical factor for the patients' survival, is a prime asset in using simulation. Simulation can be conducted as either individual training of specific skills or as team-training in co-operation, leadership and communication.
At the Danish Institute for Medical Simulation a complexity of simulation tools are used. In full scale simulations manikins connected to the standard equipment are used in the operating room. Part task trainers which include manikins, arms in which to insert iv-lines, body parts or surgical trainers are used to skills training. E-learning, micro simulation and simulated patients are used to meet other learning needs and hence DIMS seeks to create as effective learner directed training tasks as possible.