What is High-Fidelity Simulation?

Most of us remember taking a CPR course when we practiced on "Dead Fred," a lifeless, limbless torso of foam. This teaching practice is in a sense medical simulation. However, the realism of this patient, and therefore the reality of the scene, is impaired by the fact that our patients are not in fact limbless plastic torsos. By integrating state-of-the-art simulator mannequin technology and employing an elite team of certified simulation specialists, we break this barrier and we train providers with a higher caliber of realism. These simulator mannequins take the place of real patients, so when providers make a mistake they can learn from it without risking the life of a father, daughter, neighbor, or friend. With life-like anatomical structures, actual pulse points, reactive and adaptive responses to treatment, and so much more, we can control the scene 100% and truly focus on objectives and experiential learning.

Simulation-based training has been institutionalized in other high-hazard professions, such as aviation, nuclear power, and the military, to maximize training safety and minimize risk. Healthcare has lagged behind in simulation applications for a number of reasons, including cost, lack of rigorous proof of effect, and resistance to change. Effective training has been shown to improve care and outcome, decrease litigation claims, and reduce sick leave. To be effective, training should be incentivized, in a realistic context, and delivered to inter-professional teams similar to those delivering actual care. Teamwork training is a useful addition, but it should be based on the characteristics of effective teamwork as derived from the study of frontline teams. Implementation of simulation and teamwork training is challenging with constraints on staff time, facilities, and finances. Local adoption and adaptation of effective programs can help keep costs down and make them locally relevant while maintaining effectiveness.

Why High-Fidelity Medical Simulation?

Short answer? Because it works. Recent studies show alarming rates of medical error in even the most developed healthcare systems. Preventable medical errors account for more than 400,000 deaths every year in the US alone (1). Best Practice Medicine was founded out of this understanding: there are good providers in this world harming patients because of bad decisions made out of a lack of meaningful continuing education. Simulation has been proven to reduce these medical errors and better prepare providers for those high-consequence patient encounters that only happen once in a blue moon. Now, you don't have to take our word for it. We may be pioneering the was simulation is delivered to rural and frontier settings, but there is an extensive body of knowledge which has closely studied the positive effects of simulation for years. At the end of the day, we believe, we know that providers care about doing their best, so take your care to the next level by practicing the way you practice.