5 Key Challenges in Medical Simulation Training

The application of simulation in medical training has revolutionized how we approach healthcare and how we train our future doctors. It provides learners with a safe environment to get some hands-on practice. It spares real patients the discomfort of being attended by freshers. Simulation in medical training also creates better doctors and medics, furthering the stance and quality of healthcare in the world.

medical simulation model

But like everything else, medical simulation training comes with its own challenges. Today, we will talk about the 5 most common challenges faced by technicians in medical simulation.

Insufficient psychological fidelity/ realism

The whole purpose of simulation-led training is to provide learners with a realistic scenario so that they can learn better and afford to make mistakes in a safe environment. If they can’t perceive the simulation to be a believable environment, it might not be as effective. When we use realistic manikins and set up realistic scenarios that replicate the nuances of the real process, not only do students learn better, they develop critical decision-making and ad-hoc skills. Realism helps learners take it more seriously.

Cost

Better learning comes at a cost. A major roadblock in implementing simulation-led medical training is the expense of it all. Medical manikins and simulators are expensive. You also need to compensate the actors (depending on the kind of simulation you are going for). And then there are the expenses for the buildings, equipment, furniture, salaries, consumables, refreshment, allowances, transportation, electricity, laundry, course design, and many more resources. So while simulation-led training has proved to be more effective than conventional methods, when it comes to the fidelity-cost trade-off, you need to make the choice.

Lack of trained instructors

A simulation-led training program is only as effective as the instructor. The lack of trained instructors able to teach through simulation is another roadblock to training medical aspirants through simulation. A good instructor will be able to utilize the potential of simulation-based training to teach important skils, and build various soft skills like communication, decision-making, and critical thinking skills. He will also be able to employ effective debriefing techniques to provide immediate feedback and encourage learning.

Building team skills

There are some things you only learn by working in a team. Because simulation training focuses on building individual skills, it misses out on the fact that in the real world, doctors won’t be working on a patient alone- they will need team skills. They will need to get along and communicate effectively, appreciating the contribution of the rest of the team.

Keeping it interesting

Debriefing is often seen as the most important part of simulation-led medical training. However, focussing largely on assessment can quickly turn a possibility for a hands-on, safe learning experience with opportunity for genuine inquiry into a dreaded responsibility that learners need to get out of the way. To a learner, simulation-led training is supposed to be a risk-free learning environment. And even though a situation may be risk-free to a patient, a learner is still exposing his lack of knowledge and experience to his instructors and his peers. By laying out the rationale, ground rules, parameters, and risk beforehand, an instructor can minimize performance stress and make this process easier on the learner, allowing the simulation to fulfil its purpose- that of better learning.

These challenges, among others, might just be why simulation healthcare training isn’t as widely accepted yet. When all the different challenges of simulation-led medical training are addressed, the results can be astonishing.

How is Behaviorism Applied in Medical Simulation?

Research has time and again proved the effectiveness of the use of simulation in medical training. And because it is so expensive with so many costs factoring in, it is important to make it more effective in what it does. Since learning is the goal of simulation-led training, one way to do this is to integrate learning theories into the process. In this blog, we will talk about how behaviorism is applied in medical simulation to increase its efficiency.

behaviourism in medical simulation

What is Behaviorism?

Everyone learns differently- we all have different learning styles. Learning theories are concerned with how we learn, process, and remember. One such learning theory is behaviorism, a theory that suggests that all learning is acquired through conditions. Learning (behavior) is either a reflex to an environmental stimulus or a consequence of our history. Learning happens when connections are made between environmental stimuli and a person’s responses that follow. So when we manipulate the stimuli, we can alter behavior through learning.

So how does this apply to learning?

We can make use of the concept of behaviorism and the consequences of behavior by encouraging learning through reinforcement and punishment (both positive and negative). As suggested by operant conditioning, a response is controlled by its consequence. With strategies like positive reinforcement, responding to an action with a desirable consequence can create a positive association and encourage repetition of the action. When learners repeatedly practice critical skills in a safe simulation environment, they learn and remember better. Also, when the instructor gives him immediate feedback- whether it’s a reinforcement or a punishment, it drives operant conditioning and changes his response. So, reinforcement will encourage him to make the right choice again, and punishment will discourage him from making the wrong choice the next time. Another technique is systematic desensitization, in which fear and anxiety are reduced by repeated exposure (because fear is learned, it can be unlearned).

How to apply behaviorism to medical simulation?

Here are a few things you can do to improve the learning experience:

  • Simulation runs better when you have prepared everything in advance. If you can design a simulation focusing on a specific psychomotor skill, while cutting out distractions and other factors, you will be utilizing the principles of behaviorism. As cognitive demand will decrease, the learner will be able to completely focus on the one skill, and the instructor will be able to measure results directly.
  • Capitalizing on operant conditioning, if as an instructor, you provide immediate feedback, you can reinforce the learner’s actions. This feedback can be verbal or tactile, with equipment like high-fidelity manikins. These realistic manikins (many of them have screens) deliver immediate feedback, allowing the learner to correct mistakes and improve performance in real-time.
  • Another behaviorism strategy is to employ repetition. When learners get to practice again and again in a simulated environment, they get many chances to associate behaviors and consequences, and are reinforced. And it’s no secret that repetition helps you remember things!

A behaviorist approach can help build technical or psychomotor skills and cause a change in behavior. When the instructor shows specific desired behavior, learners observe the manner in which it must be performed, and then a certain rubric helps evaluate their performance and reinforce them.

Sem Trainers & Systems