CentraState - Healthy Directions

At left: Kenneth W. Faistl, MD, supervises a team of CentraState staff in a simulated medical emergency. Below: Monitors in the simulation lab display realistic vital signs for the artificial patient. meet CentraState's needs and include a range of clinical situations such as cardiac arrest, stroke, severe allergic reactions, and obstetric emergencies. Actual critical care procedures are performed. The training simulates different environments including the Emergency Department, operating room, and labor/ delivery. Participants learn how to react in emergency settings, think on their feet, work as a team, and sharpen critical thinking and communication skills. Stephanie Pate, nurse educator, Saving lives through high-tech training W hen doctors, nurses, and other clinicians face a medical emergency and a person's life is on the line, there's no time for second- guessing or for trying something "new." Knowing what to do with only seconds to spare and working together successfully as a team are critical skills medical professionals must have during these moments. How they handle those situations will test their fortitude and affect the lives of their patients. If they're properly prepared, then they have a distinct advantage and the ability to use the skills they have practiced to confidently apply the correct method of care. But how do they learn and develop those skills without a live patient? At CentraState Medical Center, they get the opportunity to practice on an artificial patient in a simulated environment. Once a month, a state-of-the-art mobile education center arrives on the CentraState campus for the day to offer simulated training to physicians, nurses, and other members of the health care team. Through a CentraState Healthcare Foundation grant, CentraState contracted with Simulated Interactive Advanced Medical Education Center (SIAMEC) to 10 March/April 2012 bring the training program to the hospital. Trained facilitators from SIAMEC and CentraState's Family Medicine Residency Program, in cooperation with instructors from CentraState's Professional Development Department, coordinate the training and create various clinical scenarios. Afterward, they provide feedback to participants by reviewing video and audio recordings of the training sessions. The "patient" that the lab participants perform training exercises on is an advanced computerized patient simulator. The simulator resembles a lifelike mannequin that can replicate realistic traumas, vital signs, and responses that a regular live patient would exhibit. The mannequins even talk and moan like a real patient. Real-life dialogue and distractions are simulated as well, including the cries and interruptions from a distraught family member, creating real-life situations. Originating in the airline industry, simulation training has improved safety, performance, response time, and outcomes, and has also reduced errors. Training scenarios are customized to Professional Development, says that the simulation lab is a good, critical thinking experience. "You get hands-on training and work on skills for situations you might not experience every day," Pate says. "It's important for everyone to work as a team and verbalize what you're doing. Communication is essential in real-life situations." She adds, "Experiences such as this give CentraState staff more confidence and ability to respond more promptly and perform life-saving techniques in the proper manner and sequence." The simulation lab can be especially useful for physicians, nurses, and clinicians who have just started their careers and could benefit from more hands-on experience. "The simulation training is like book knowledge put into realistic applications," says Kenneth W. Faistl, MD, medical director of the Family Medicine Residency Program at CentraState, which is sponsored by UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "It is critical that everyone perfects their roles on the team to ensure that we provide the best possible care for our patients and the most effective training for our family physicians of the future." To learn more about CentraState's services, visit www.centrastate.com. To find a CentraState physician, call (866) CENTRA7 (866-236-8727). HD Healthy Directions

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