March 28, 2024By Teresa Gore

Global Medical Simulation News Update March 2024

Global Clinical Simulation News March 2024

Each month, HealthySimulation.com provides recaps of all the latest healthcare simulation industry news from around the world. This news includes clinical simulation learning opportunities, funding updates, acquisition information, innovation progress, and more. Together, these industry updates help paint a picture of where the global medical simulation industry is presently and where the industry is headed as the scope of clinical simulation practice expands. In this edition for March 2024, read about some of the world’s latest clinical simulation updates on the latest technology and partnership announcements, Patient Safety awards, sim training programs, mobile sim training, XR technologies, relevant company acquisitions and launches, patient safety updates, new simulators, sim center openings, and more!

The Pitch: Patient Safety’s Next Generation: The future of health care belongs to the next generation. From the filmmaking team behind To Err Is Human: A Patient Safety Documentary (2018) comes a new documentary about the evolving role of technology in improving patient safety across medicine. Through expert interviews, real-world technology solutions, and one young innovator’s journey into the business of medicine, The Pitch: Patient Safety’s Next Generation showcases the immense effort required to break into the healthcare industry with new innovations and the importance of collaboration between those inside and out of the medical space.

WISER Highlights – Winter 2024: Thank you for being a friend of WISER – we welcome you to WISER Highlights – your quarterly update on some of the most exciting happenings taking place at WISER. Greetings Friends of WISER! We have had a productive quarter, and I hope that you have as well. First off, we have released the newest version of our Patient Safety Report. This report allows us to focus on those WISER activities which are aligned directly with… WISER Operations Expanding Services, WISER’s Impact on Patient Safety, Expanding the WISER Fellowship Program and Another Successful IMSH for WISER and SIMS!

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New year, new beginnings – check out new Mediquip website: Mediquip is known for being a solutions provider and partners with leading equipment manufacturers from around the world to enhance local healthcare providers’ patient care, helping efficiency and supporting patient safety. Since starting as a medical equipment servicing business in 1983, Mediquip’s technical strength has provided the foundation for its growth across service, equipment and consumables.

Congreso Internacional Simulacion En Salud: In a world where technology and health education evolve by leaps and bounds, health simulation has become an indispensable tool for the advancement of safe and effective medical care. Aware of the importance of each member of the health team, the International Congress of Simulation in Health and II International Symposium on Operations in Simulation in Health emerges as an essential space for meeting, collaboration and innovation.Under the motto ‘Teamwork towards a better health system’ , we invite you to participate from May 30 to June 1, 2024 in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to explore the advances, challenges and opportunities in simulation in health. Through conferences, round tables, and practical workshops, we will delve into topics such as the fundamentals of health simulation, best practice standards, simulation operations, and much more.

NBME Acquires MedVR Education to Enhance Assessment for Medical Professionals: NBME, a leading medical assessment organization, announces the successful asset acquisition of MedVR Education(link is external), an extended reality (XR) platform for health care skill development. This acquisition marks a significant milestone in NBME’s commitment to enhancing its ability to develop new tools and assessments for learning that support learners through the medical education journey.

Figure Raises $675M at $2.6B Valuation and Signs Collaboration Agreement with OpenAI : Figure, an AI robotics company developing general purpose humanoid robots, today announced that it has raised $675M in Series B funding at a $2.6B valuation with investments from Microsoft, OpenAI Startup Fund, NVIDIA,Jeff Bezos (through Bezos Expeditions), Parkway Venture Capital, Intel Capital, Align Ventures, and ARK Invest. This investment will accelerate Figure’s timeline for humanoid commercial deployment.In conjunction with this investment, Figure and OpenAI have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop next generation AI models for humanoid robots, combining OpenAI’s research with Figure’s deep understanding of robotics hardware and software. The collaboration aims to help accelerate Figure’s commercial timeline by enhancing the capabilities of humanoid robots to process and reason from language.

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AlensiaXR Series A Funding Round to Evolve Anatomical Instruction Using Holograms: AlensiaXR, a technology company launched by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), today announced the completion of its Series A funding round to accelerate development and delivery of its HoloAnatomy learning platform. The software revolutionizes anatomical instruction by leveraging advanced holographic technology, reducing the need for costly, resource-intensive cadaver labs. “This milestone marks a significant step forward in the transformation of medical education,” said AlensiaXR CEO Mark Day, who previously led Microsoft’s global HoloLens business. “Our investors understand the HoloAnatomy impact: delivering improved learning outcomes anywhere in the world.”

Can virtual reality simulations improve macrocognition?: Simulation studies provide a unique opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how healthcare workers manage risk in everyday care. In this issue of the journal, Mumma and colleagues1 use a simulation design to analyze how nurses think during infection prevention and control practices and identify the cognitive skills that are associated with high performance.Most nurse educators are familiar with the low-fidelity glow germ simulation intended to make nursing students and other health care providers aware of cross-contamination and the ubiquitous nature of microorganisms. Mumma et al have taken this exercise to another level by using actual microorganisms, thereby increasing the stakes of the simulated experience. The study has considerable methodological rigour and is an exciting way to highlight a unique use of clinical simulation.

Early Bird Registration is now open for SimGHOSTS USA 2024: Make your plans to join us at the Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall at IU Health in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 6-9, for a transformative 3.5 day healthcare simulation event. By focusing on the latest insights in simulation technology and providing practical advice, tips, tricks, and hacks, SG24USA is the premier platform to stay ahead of the trends and technologies that will fast track your simulation operations career. Don’t miss this transformative opportunity to enhance your simulation technology and operations skills and unlock new possibilities in healthcare simulation. We are launching registration two months early due to high demand. Please note that additional pre-conference and in-conference workshops/sessions that have specific fees will be added once the program is completed. You can add those to your registration and pay the difference once the program is launched.

Curso Internacional de Instructores en simulación en salud: El curso tiene como propósito principal la profundización en el uso de la simulación clínica como metodología de enseñanza-aprendizaje, basado en estándares internacionales existentes y con evidencia científica. Por lo tanto, prepara al simulacionista para alcanzar la calidad de la simulación en su implementación con un énfasis en la interprofesionalidad, la seguridad del paciente y el trabajo colaborativo. Certifica: Universidad de Lleida, España.

Study to Investigate the Frequency with Which Participant Distress Occurs During Simulation: Are you involved in healthcare simulation? Efrem Violato from CAMS – Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation at NAIT and her team are conducting an online study to understand how frequently distress occurs during healthcare simulation. They would like your insights into this important topic. A donation of your time (approximately 10-15 minutes) would be greatly appreciated.

Sira Medical Wins FDA Clearance for Augmented Reality Preoperative Surgical Planning Software: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Sira Medical 510(k) clearance for its augmented reality preoperative surgical planning application, which provides clinicians with advanced imaging to assist in making key patient management decisions. Parts of the anatomy are often partially or fully hidden on CT scans and MRIs. The lack of clarity forces surgeons to make critical decisions on the fly during surgery, which can lead to errors and inefficiencies. Sira Medical’s holograms remove these obstacles, allowing surgeons to prepare for surgery with more confidence by providing opportunities to reduce patient complications and improve outcomes.

Trends Affecting Nursing Education: AI, XR, CBE, Whaaaat?!: Artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR), and competency-based education (CBE) are just some of the current trends transforming nursing education. The 2024 UMSON Institute for Educators Annual Nursing Education Conference will provide opportunities to learn from national and local experts on the many compelling and thought-provoking trends in nursing education, both in academic and practice settings. Come, bring your ideas and questions, and be inspired by our keynote, concurrent sessions, and peer-reviewed NED (Nursing Education) Talks.

Surgical teams to use Apple Vision Pro and mixed reality in procedures for the first time in the US and UK: London, UK, 12th March 2024 – Cromwell Hospital has become the first hospital in the UK and Europe to use the Apple Vision Pro, a spatial computing device, as surgical logistics and organizational tool.Introduced to the hospital by eXeX, a leader in artificial intelligence and spatial computing for surgical organization and workflow optimization, surgeons Mr. Fady Sedra and Mr.Syed Aftab, part of the Complex Spine group who operate out of Cromwell Hospital, used the technology to successfully perform two microsurgical spine procedures.

VA Study: Microbial Contamination Continues in Hospitals, Even When Recommended Cleaning Protocols Are Followed: TMicrobial contamination—including pathogenic and potentially pathogenic bacteria—persisted on high-touch hospital surfaces despite compliance with recommended disinfection protocols, according to a study performed at the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System. A report published in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) underscored the difficulties involved in eliminating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The VA-led study suggested that innovative strategies might be necessary for more-effective disinfection of these surfaces.

U.S. House Bill to Establish an NPSB: On March 8, 2024, U.S. Reps. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Dr. Michael Burgess (TX-26), members of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, reintroduced the National Patient Safety Board Act (H.R. 7591), legislation that would establish a National Patient Safety Board (NPSB), a nonpunitive, collaborative, and independent board within the Department of Health and Human Services to address safety in health care modeled in part after successful entities in the transportation industry. This landmark legislation is a critical step to improve safety for patients and healthcare providers by coordinating existing efforts within a single independent agency solely focused on addressing patient safety in health care.

Introducing the new UNI 3: UNI 3 is Gaumard’s newest and most advanced patient simulator control software. Manage vitals, track performance, and debrief with faster and easier-to-use tools designed to help you facilitate even complex scenarios with ease. The streamlined UNI 3 interface is designed to power all computer-controlled Gaumard patient simulators, making operation simpler to use and manage various Gaumard models with minimal training. UNI 3 is now shipping with select Gaumard patient simulators and will be available as a complimentary upgrade to all existing UNI users later this year. Elevate simulations experience with the power of UNI 3.

Bristol-based medical task trainer specialist releases ground-breaking product set to revolutionize medical training: Medical practitioners will be able to better recognise and diagnose more than 30 chronic conditions and life-threatening emergencies with the release of Limbs & Things’ most ambitious and complex product in its 30-year history.The CaRE (Cardiovascular & Respiratory Examination) trainer is an anatomically correct adult torso model designed to help medical trainees practice cardiovascular and respiratory examinations. It is the first medical simulator of its kind anywhere in the world to synchronize both heart and lung sounds and movement, with patent pending technology.Limbs & Things team has spent four years and over 50,000 hours on the research and development of CaRE, combining various technologies in new ways to make CaRE as lifelike as possible.

SG24USA Registration: The SimGHOSTS 2024 USA Conference (SG24USA) is set to take place in Indianapolis, Indiana from August 6-9. Hosted by IU Health, IU School of Medicine, and IU School of Nursing, this 3.5-day event at the Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall is designed to Accelerate Your Success in Healthcare Simulation. By focusing on the latest insights in simulation technology and providing practical advice, tips, tricks, and hacks, SG24USA is the premier platform to stay ahead of the trends and technologies that will fast track your simulation operations career. Don’t miss this transformative opportunity to enhance your simulation technology and operations skills and unlock new possibilities in healthcare simulation.

Step into a new reality in training health professionals with RadyVerse: On Friday, March 15, the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences will showcase how it will be employing virtual reality (VR) and other cutting-edge technologies to educate and train the next generation of health-care professionals. Faculty, staff and learners from across UM are invited to experience first-hand various VR and other scenarios at stations set up in Brodie Centre atrium, 727 McDermot Avenue, from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm at the RadyVerse launch event. The faculty’s College of Nursing has been using VR in its bachelor of nursing program since Fall 2022. The RadyVerse will expand this technology across the faculty’s colleges of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and rehabilitation sciences.

Eastern Virginia Medical School Uses, Contributes to AHRQ’s Healthcare Simulation Dictionary: Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, Virginia, uses and contributes to the AHRQ Healthcare Simulation Dictionary, which international simulation experts developed to standardize the growing list of terms in this expanding field. AHRQ partnered with the Society for Simulation in Healthcare to develop the dictionary in order to boost communication and clarity in healthcare teaching, education, assessment, and research.Simulation in healthcare creates a safe learning environment for researchers and practitioners to test and improve new clinical processes and enhance individual and team skills in a given technique or procedure before touching patients, thereby improving patient safety. The 2020 edition of the dictionary includes definitions for 170 healthcare simulation terms.

ACH 2024 ENRICH Healthcare Communication Course: The 41st annual ENRICH Healthcare Communication Course will provide attendees the unique opportunity to advance their communication skills alongside like-minded colleagues and communication education experts in an intensive, learner-centered environment. All healthcare professionals interested in interpersonal skill development, facilitating improvement among colleagues, leading patient experience efforts, and much more, should plan to attend ENRICH! As an ENRICH participant, you will discover strategies to enhance organizational and personal communication skills while receiving supportive mentoring and feedback from expert ACH Faculty.

U.S. maternal death rate increasing at an alarming rate – Northwestern Now: The U.S. maternal mortality rate is accelerating at an alarming rate, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine. But it’s not due to the widely believed hypothesis that maternal mortality in the U.S. has increased largely because people are getting pregnant at older ages. In fact, the study found maternal mortality increased among every age group. The greatest relative increases among people aged 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 years old, the study found.Between 2014 and 2021, the average U.S. maternal age a well-established risk factor for maternal mortality increased from 28.3 to 29.4 years old, the study found. In that same period, the overall maternal mortality rates in the U.S. nearly doubled, from 16.5 to 31.8, with the largest increase of 18.9 to 31.8 occurring from 2019 to 2021.

Innosonian introducing their NEW R42 Bariatric Training Manikin: The R42 Bariatric Manikin offers a diverse and inclusive representation of patients, addressing the gap in realistic training for bariatric and obese individuals. Correct moving and handling of these patients, airway management scenarios, urinary catheterization skills and more, it has been designed to support healthcare professionals’ preparedness to care for a broad spectrum of patient presentations fostering empathy and competence. We will be showing the new R42 Bariatric Manikin at the forthcoming INACSL 2024 Conference, 12-15th June, Raleigh, NC Raleigh Convention Center in the Innosonian Booth.

Join the PeriopSim Challenge C9: Hemicolectomy and take your surgical skills to the next level! From March 10 to April 13, this immersive challenge gives you a chance to improve your hemicolectomy instrumentation and procedure skills on either a tablet or desktop. The challenge offers an opportunity to participate in realistic simulations, enhance your surgical knowledge, and compete with peers worldwide. With over $500 in prizes, including $150 in Amazon gift cards and an engraved Apple iPad, the stakes are high, and the learning opportunities are immense. Winners will be announced every Wednesday at 12:00 PM PST, so each week is a chance to shine. Don’t miss out on this unique blend of education and competition. Join the PeriopSim Challenge C9 today and show the world your surgical prowess!

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Industry News
Tags
ahrq, AI, MedVR, OpenAI, Patient Safety Movie, simghosts, virtual reality
ahrq, AI, MedVR, OpenAI, Patient Safety Movie, simghosts, virtual reality