Biomedical instrumentation & technology / Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation
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Biomed Instrum Technol · Sep 2006
Simulation in medicine: addressing patient safety and improving the interface between healthcare providers and medical technology.
Medicine, as an industry in which human lives depend on the skill and performance of operators, must create and maintain a culture of safety, in addition to promoting the design of systems to mitigate errors. The use of medical simulation as a mechanism for training healthcare professionals in a safe environment is expanding rapidly. ⋯ The objective of this paper is to review: (1) the definition and a brief history of medical simulation, (2) examples of how current medical simulation centers are using simulation to address patient safety, and (3) examples of how simulation can be used to enhance patient safety through improvement of the interface between healthcare practitioners and medical technology. Medical simulation and human factors engineering can be used to examine and enhance the interface between healthcare practitioners and medical technology, with the potential to make a significant contribution to patient safety.