Healthcare forms the foundation of our society, yet we all recognize that implicit bias can subtly affect the care patients receive. Implicit bias is defined as subconscious associations between two disparate attributes that can result in inequitable decisions. They operationalize throughout the healthcare ecosystem, impacting patients, clinicians, administrators, faculty, and staff. No individual is immune from the harmful effects of implicit biases. Healthcare simulationists hold a unique and impactful opportunity to foster social change – to transform how healthcare professionals are trained to address real-world challenges. This HealthySimulation.com article by Teresa Gore, PhD, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE-A, FSSH, FAAN, will explore how Avkin’s wearable simulator Every Patient Package products support inclusivity to represent the patients in clinical practice.
Improve Inclusivity and Cultural Awareness
Avkin believes that healthcare simulation should reflect the genuine human experience. That is why Avkin created the solution for full representation in simulation, the Every Patient Package. This groundbreaking approach takes technology off of the manikin and places the focus on the live person to represent people from different backgrounds and different walks of life. The Every Patient Package promotes inclusivity and cultural awareness in healthcare education with wearable simulators in a range of skin tones to ensure that your simulations reflect the diverse populations your learners will serve.
Every Patient Package for Application of Inclusivity and Cultural Awareness
The disparities healthcare providers observe are more than just numbers—they represent lives that are underserved by a system in need of change. Avkin is prepared to ensure this change for inclusivity and cultural awareness happens, one student at a time.
The Every Patient Package from Avkin offers customers access to 24 dynamic simulations, each designed to mirror a broad spectrum of real-world healthcare scenarios. These simulations represent a range of patient conditions and situations, providing learners with immersive, hands-on experiences that closely resemble the challenges faced in actual healthcare environments. By offering such a variety of simulations, Avkin enables educators to deliver a more inclusive, realistic, and impactful training experience for aspiring healthcare professionals.
View the new HealthySimulation.com Community OB Birthing Simulation Group to discuss this topic with your Global Healthcare Simulation peers!
Avkin notes Every Patient Simulation as ‘A holistic approach to healthcare education that integrates the representation of patients from different backgrounds, experiences, and identities into simulation scenarios. Every Patient Simulation emphasizes a more integrated and authentic approach to patient care, moving beyond isolated instances of cultural or demographic differences. This methodology aims to prepare practitioners to interact with a full spectrum of patients in a safe environment, for real-world interactions by normalizing representation in every encounter, fostering empathy, and promoting equitable outcomes.’
Every Patient Package Inclusion Provides:
- Avbirth includes a base unit and three interchangeable skin tones and three lifelike babies
- Avtrach includes three wearable tracheostomy simulators with one of each skin tone
- Avthor includes three wearable chest tube simulators with one of each skin tone
- Avtone includes three wearable auscultation simulators with one of each skin tone
- Avstick includes three wearable IV simulators with one of each skin tone
- Avline includes three wearable central line simulators with one of each skin tone
- Avwound includes three wearable wound care auscultation simulators with one of each skin tone
- Avcath includes three wearable catheterization simulators with one of each skin tone and interchangeable male and female genitalia
- Avband three way communication devices with 5 Avbands and 5 Apple iPads
- Simulated Blood Pressure Cuff (3)
- Simulated Pulse Ox (3)
- Simulated Thermometers (3)
- Standardized Patient Certificates and Online Training Program (10)
- Simulations that compliment each wearable (24)
- 12-month mentorship on standardized patient program development and a 1-day intensive
- AvMentor onsite support from the AvMentor team
Avkin Wearable Simulator Products Include:
- Simulated Birthing Device
- Wearable Tracheostomy Simulator
- Wearable IV Simulator
- Wearable Central Line Simulator
- Wearable Auscultation Simulator
- Wearable Urinary Catheterization Simulator
- Wearable Chest Tube Care Simulator
- Wearable Wound Care Simulator
- Simulated Participant Cueing Device
View the HealthySimulation.com Webinar Transform Maternal-Fetal Care: The Potential of Wearable Birthing Simulators with Standardized Patients to learn more!
Wearable Simulators
Wearable simulators first entered the market in 2016 with the release of the Strategic Operations Cut Suit and Avkin’s Avtrach, a wearable tracheostomy simulator. A wearable simulator is a product that is designed to be worn by a trained actor or standardized patient, replicates realistic human anatomy and physiology, and has an interactive user interface to extend the use of SPs, even when invasive procedures are necessary (Cowperthwait et al., 2021). The integrated user interface triggers appropriate “patient” reactions using haptic cues so the trained SP can realistically respond to the care being provided in real time during the simulation. The Cut Suit has been used significantly in the military/paramilitary for mass casualty and trauma training needs. Avkin was recognized by 81% of survey respondents as the leading educational and product specialists for healthcare wearable simulators.
The benefits for hybrid simulation with an SP and wearable simulator are the combination of human interaction, clinical accuracy, and software that is controlled by embedded sensors and seamless user interface for the facilitator. The outcome of hybrid simulation is fully immersed learners’ interaction with “patients” who have questions, fears, and human connection needs. Another benefit is the opportunity learners have to get patient-centered feedback during the debriefing (Johnson et al., 2020; Pate & Ricardo, 2016). There were a few limitations from the survey for wearables that includes the higher price than manual task trainers and the selection of wearables in the market is limited to meet educational goals for available tasks.
More About Avkin
Avkin is the leader in developing and manufacturing wearable simulators for healthcare simulations. Avkin also focuses on consulting with Standardized Patient programs and offering support to institutions to grow and flourish their own strategic program. Avkin’s CEO, Amy Cowperthwait, CEO, RN, MSN, CNS, CHSE-A, is a simulationist that built her standardized patient program from the ground up. Avkin is the one-stop shop for standardized patients.
Avkin’s sensor-enabled, wearable technology uses haptic feedback to enable a new class of medical simulation training that teaches both the art (soft skills) and science (hard skills) required from practitioners like doctors, nurses, and first responders. What sets Avkin apart from competitors is that they add a realistic backstory focused on empathy so that users can bring medical simulations to life.
Avkin provides a simulation solution that combines the best of high-fidelity mannequins and the realism of standardized patients for the most authentic healthcare simulation experience possible. The company believes that the key to success in patient-centered care is practitioner training through realistic healthcare simulations and that human interaction is irreplaceable in clinical education.
The incorporation of live people into clinical simulation does not have to be hard. Avkin is here to help with an entire line of products and services. Avkin’s line of wearables includes nine products to address the needs of pre and post-licensure learners. Book a meeting with Avkin through the website link before to find out more.
