April 25, 2024By Erin Carn Bennett

Global Medical Simulation News Update April 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 April 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!

Guide to the Global Simulation Industry (Ft. HealthySimulation.com Founder/CEO Lance Baily): This Avkin vlog episode explores the global simulation industry and the role of simulation in healthcare education with HealthySimulation Founder & CEO, Lance Baily, as he also shares his background in film and digital media, as well as his experience in healthcare and simulation. They touch on the expansion of simulation post-COVID and the trends of digital-based learning technologies and AI in simulation. They also discuss the importance of digital marketing and online learning in simulation, as well as the need for inclusivity and diversity in the simulation community. The conversation highlights the importance of communication skills and the potential of AR/VR in simulation, how simulation has the potential to reduce the high turnover rate of new graduate nurses and improve outcomes in healthcare, and how important It is to speak the language of C-suite executives and promote simulation in a way that addresses their pain points.


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The Evolution of Simulation in Medical Training: Transitioning from Physical to Digital : Simulation has established itself as an essential aspect of medical and allied health training, enabling students and professionals to apply their knowledge in a practical setting. While physical simulations have traditionally been a mainstay, offering tactile and direct experiences in a variety of health disciplines, the shift towards digital simulations is becoming more pronounced. These digital platforms offer significant advantages in terms of providing immediate feedback, standardized training, and broader accessibility.

INACSL 2023 Sim Media Center: Committee Panel Interview Part 1: HealthySimulation was on hand at INACSL 2023 to learn more about the latest offerings from International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning!

Irish Association for Simulation (IAS) Annual Symposium 2024!: The symposium will take place on Friday 24th May, and we are looking forward to this all island in-person event. There are 3 keynote speakers, a number of workshops and some of the simulation companies will have goods on display. This year the symposium is being held in partnership with the newly established National Simulation Office. It will be hosted by the Irish Centre for Applied Patient Safety and Simulation in Galway in Clinical Science Institute and ICAPSS simulation facility.


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Patient Safety Awareness: The Patient Safety Movement Foundation has innovatively outlined actionable evidence-based practices to address high-priority preventable harms, fostering a collaborative learning ecosystem and promoting shared accountability. Our foundation has persistently championed the establishment of an independent, diverse team to investigate incidents of harm, develop innovative solutions, and prioritize representation from communities disproportionately affected. We have consistently emphasized the importance of data transparency as essential for monitoring progress in enhancing patient care. The Patient Safety Movement Foundation strongly advocates for systemic payer policy changes aimed at incentivizing healthcare organizations to adopt evidence-based solutions, prioritize quality over quantity, and encourage public reporting to mitigate risks.

LifeGift’s Simulation Center Awarded SSH Provisional Accreditation: LifeGift’s Institute for the Future of Transplantation Simulation Center (LIFT SIM Center) was recently awarded the Provisional Accreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). The LIFT SIM Center is the first organ procurement organization (OPO) in the nation to receive this best practice and quality accreditation. LifeGift was recognized at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare President’s Diamond Ball in San Diego, Calif. for this accomplishment.

An Affordable Manikin Designed for Realistic Ventilation Training and More: Conduct immersive training scenarios designed to enhance decision-making, teamwork, and patient care, particularly in relation to respiratory, ventilation, and Advanced Life Support. Aurora contains an Internal Simulated Lung (ISL) based on the world-renowned ASL 5000 Breathing Simulator technology, providing a highly realistic, hands-on training experience. The ability to comprehensively assess the patient’s condition and practice a variety clinical skills makes this manikin an ideal solution for Respiratory Therapy, Nursing, EMS, and Physicians.

Calgary’s new medical simulation lab helps health-care professionals improve their skills: A new Calgary simulation lab is using life-like mannequins and recreating urgent emergency situations so doctors can practice, perform and improve their medical skills to save lives. The Educate, Simulate, Innovate and Motivate (eSIM) lab opened at the Peter Lougheed Centre on Thursday, helping different health-care professionals improve their hands-on response to events like cardiac arrest, asthma attacks, anaphylactic shock and even child-birth. “A hospital is just a building and equipment is just equipment, but what really makes or breaks quality safe health care is the teams, that’s where the magic is found, to get in sync with each other,” said simulation consultant Hanin Omar.”In the last couple of months, we’ve been practicing these types of events and I’ve heard from some of our learners who actually faced these situations in real life afterwards and knew exactly what to do.”

Red Cross Releases Lifeguard VR Training Simulator: Recently, The American Red Cross took a pioneering leap forward with the introduction of their new Virtual Reality (VR) lifeguard training simulator. This groundbreaking technology promises to transform the way lifeguards are trained, particularly in the crucial areas of surveillance and scanning skills, ultimately enhancing their ability to save lives. At the recent Association of Aquatic Professionals (AOAP) show held in Reno, Pool Magazine had an opportunity to experience firsthand the innovative lifeguard training simulator developed by the American Red Cross in collaboration with Lucid Reality Labs. Chris Whipple, M.Ed., NREMT, a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the American Red Cross, spoke about the significance of this technological advancement.

ScanLabMR Launches New Individual Cohorts for MRI Students and Technologists: MRI and CT simulation software leader, ScanLabMR, announced the launch of two new individual cohorts to help MRI students and technologists improve their scanning skills, prepare for the MRI registry, or cross-train into an MRI role. Previously, ScanLabMR’s individual learning programs were entirely self-guided. But now, students in the new cohorts – named ScanLabMR Only and ScanLabMR + ImagingU – will have instructor support and additional tools so they can achieve their MRI goals, whether they’re learning about MRI for the first time or simply looking to refine their skills. Participants in the ScanLabMR Only cohort will receive six months of unlimited access to ScanLabMR’s MRI simulator software plus 2-4 office hours per week with a designated instructor. This cohort is designed for anyone looking to advance their scanning skills.

10,000 First Aid Kits for the Frontlines: Last fall, United Help Ukraine teamed up with the Ukrainian band Antytila on their world tour with the goal to raise money for 10,000 first aid kits for the frontlines. These first aid kits, stocked with top of the line medical supplies, are critical for saving lives on the battleground. They empower defenders to provide life-saving aid to themselves and their fellow defenders as they fight to protect the freedom of Ukraine. While on tour, we held live auctions featuring unique art pieces and items signed by Ukrainian defenders. Antytila’s incredible fans joined us in cities across the globe and made donations, bid on auction items, and helped us reach our goal of raising over $630,000!

Simulation In Motion Midwest: Founded in 2010, Simulation in Motion – Midwest (SIM-Midwest) is a consortium of the Simulation In Motion programs from South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, and Iowa. Our mission is to deliver high-quality, evidence-based education to providers who might not have opportunities to attend simulation training due to distance, staff coverage, and cost. The second annual SIM Midwest conference, “Stronger Together – Improving Healthcare Outcomes with Simulation,” is happening in Iowa City, IA , on June 27 and 28, 2024. The conference will bring together simulation enthusiasts from the clinical and academic professions.

Osso Health Medical Training App Launches for Apple Vision Pro: Osso VR, the leader in immersive procedural training, announces the launch of Osso Health, a medical training app on Apple Vision Pro. Leveraging the power of Apple Vision Pro to seamlessly blend digital content with the physical world Osso Health brings the operating experience to life via detailed, clinically accurate workflows of common procedures.Osso Health’s simulated surgical environment for Apple Vision Pro represents a major milestone in democratizing access to procedural education. With this launch, Osso VR is extending its technology to a broader audience, making procedural education accessible to healthcare professionals, patients preparing for surgery, and individuals interested in medical innovation. The Osso Health app is designed to simulate medical procedures at the highest fidelity, seamlessly integrating the operating room into physical spaces and providing on-demand access to hands-on learning from anywhere. visionOS features a brand-new three-dimensional user interface and input system controlled entirely by a user’s eyes, hands, and voice, so Osso Health users can seamlessly and intuitively explore procedures.

Pediatric Cricothyrotomy Simulator : Introducing a cutting-edge Pediatric Cricothyrotomy Simulator – the ultimate training tool for medical professionals learning and maintaining pediatric emergency airway skills. Designed to enhance psychomotor skills, refine knowledge, and boost confidence, this simulator is a must-have for any healthcare facility or educational institution. This Pediatric Cricothyrotomy Simulator replicates the intricate multilayer anatomy and physiologic movement of a child’s airway, providing a realistic training experience for performing needle cricothyrotomy procedures. This advanced simulator offers a hands-on approach to learning, enabling medical professionals to master the technique with precision and expertise.

Kaleidoscope XR: Developed by Kaleidoscope XR, a leader in developing immersive solutions for healthcare and workforce training, Caregiver VR facilitates soft-skills and dementia empathy training for front-line healthcare professionals. The platform enables classroom and standardized patient simulations between educators and trainees (up to 20 per classroom) from any location globally through Virtual Reality. Trainees are able to role-play and collaborate as caregivers and residents and practice communication skills, learn to deal with difficult patient scenarios, and build empathy for patients by going through the VR dementia tour, which empowers them to view the world from the perspective of those that have dementia.

Why the VA is leading on virtual reality: Leaders from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs told Becker’s its use of immersive technology such as virtual reality can inform health systems around the country. The VA has more than 3,000 VR headsets used by veterans at over 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics. More than 2,500 clinicians and staff are involved in implementing and testing the technology. The organization is believed to be the largest health system adopter of VR. “There are a lot of applications to the broader American healthcare system,” said Shereef Elnahal, MD, undersecretary for health at the VA (and former president and CEO of Newark, N.J.-based University Hospital). “There’s essentially an epidemic of substance use disorder, but also mental health conditions. And so hopefully we can learn from what other health systems are doing, but also teach the broader American healthcare system why it’s so important to invest in this.”

Medical Students trial Virtual reality Healthcare Training at Local Trust: Using Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset as well as Oxford Medical Simulation software, the students were able to see and interact with a computer-generated bedside hospital scenario of a patient, as part of a training simulation. During the scenario, the headsets tracked participant’s physical movements, allowing them to interact with the medical equipment and patient within the scenario. By doing so, they were able to administer tests, ask the patients questions, give medicines based on their results and diagnose.The scenarios also allowed the students to interact with other medical professionals, such as radiologists and nurses, just as they would in a practical bedside examination. The session then concluded with the clinician calling a consultant for confirmation of diagnosis.

New virtual training lab for RPCC nursing students: Nursing students at River Parishes Community College are using a new way to get ready for the workforce. They’re practicing real life scenarios in a virtual world. James McCrary is the director of innovative teaching and learning at RPCC. He’s showing 15 nursing students how to use their brand-new virtual reality lab. “Before we even do this, we spend time in the classroom to kind of guide them through what they can expect, how they should react to what their bodies are telling them and then once we get in the space, we lay out here’s how the flow is going to work,” said McCrary.

“Primary Care MI,” by University of Nebraska Medical Center: Meet Mr. Simmons, a 60-year-old gentleman with a notable medical history, including HTN, CAD, and hyperlipidemia. He’s here for a routine checkup but suddenly experiences chest and arm pain, along with becoming diaphoretically distressed. This scenario challenges you to manage symptoms indicative of an acute MI, ensuring you’re ready for real-life emergencies.

Leading Simulation Educator & Expert in Clinical Quality & Patient Safety to Deliver 2024 NLN Education Summit Debra L. Spunt Lecture: An associate professor of emergency medicine and the senior director of the Simulation, Teaching, and Research Center at Mount Sinai Hospital, one of the nation’s leading teaching and research institutions, Dr. Jared Kutzin will present the annual Debra L. Spunt Memorial Lecture, Time in Grade or Grade over Time? at the 2024 NLN Education Summit, hosted by the National League for Nursing on September 18-20 in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Kutzin asks, “How do we, as educators, know our students are ready to progress or graduate? Is it the time they spend in class? Do we rely on our own gestalt? A standardized test? Do our current assessment mechanisms fairly, accurately, and completely assess competence?”

(Today) The Renaissance of Health Professions Education and Simulation through AI: In the coming weeks, we will share the final agenda and presentation topics for the Spring Event.



New Documentary features Pittsburgh work in catching medical errors: Inside UPMC Presbyterian, researchers used genetic sequencing to identify 10 patients sick with the exact same strain of a hospital-acquired infection. They then used a machine learning algorithm to track the paths of those patients, figuring out that nearly all of them had visited the same interventional radiology lab where they found improper sterilization procedures, driven in part by a faulty training video distributed by the equipment manufacturer. Immediately, they alerted the radiology lab and the manufacturer, stopping the distribution of that video to improve patient safety both at Presby and beyond.

2024 ASPE Annual Conference : The 2024 ASPE Annual Conference provides a space where a community of simulation educators, researchers, creators, and practitioners can share their practice of turning visions into reality through human simulation. Explore innovative solutions for the challenges you face every day with our amazing exhibitors and sponsors. Take this opportunity to build relationships with existing partners or establish relationships with new resources.

Hip Arthroscopy Simulator Training With Immersive Virtual Reality Has Similar Effectiveness to Nonimmersive Virtual Reality: Authors from Lenox Hill Hospital and HSS in New York evaluated the PrecisionOS hip arthroscopy simulation and compared it to a second group of residents that practiced on a $200,000 physical arthroscopy simulator.

SyncSim: is a new virtual nursing simulation company SyncSim providing a synchronous, virtual simulation platform. SyncSim assists nursing programs in providing meaningful clinical experiences to students by offering remote sessions complete with qualified live nursing instructors and patients. SyncSim currently offers 36 clinical events aligned across the RN curriculum, including specialty areas like behavioral, maternal, pediatric, and population health. Additionally, the company’s diverse experiences integrate relevant concepts such as cultural competency, social determinants of health, and exposure to high risk, low frequency encounters.

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