Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2020
Ventilator Withdrawal in Anticipation of Death: The Simulation Lab as an Educational Tool in Palliative Medicine.
Simulation is a growing model of education in many medical disciplines. Withdrawal of mechanical ventilation is an important skill set for palliative medicine practitioners who must be facile with a variety of end-of-life scenarios and is well suited to the simulation laboratory. We describe a novel approach using high-fidelity simulation to design a curriculum to teach Hospice & Palliative Medicine fellows the practical aspects of managing a compassionate terminal extubation. ⋯ Based on feedback, the session is scheduled for the beginning of the academic year and each fellow is given the opportunity to physically remove the endotracheal tube. Simulation can be effectively used to teach practical and complex bedside skills such as withdrawal of mechanical ventilation to palliative medicine trainees. This method of teaching could be expanded to teach other advanced hospice and palliative care skills.