D.C. Conference Highlights Advantages of Medical Simulators

Realistic body parts were everywhere at the Third Annual Advanced Initiatives in Medical Simulation (AIMS) Conference held in the Washington area on May 16 and 17. Modern medical simulators of all shapes and sizes were on display, and attendees received information on how simulators are advancing the way medical students train.

This conference highlights PCRM’s concerns about the use of animals in medical education. Twenty years ago, training on anesthetized dogs or pigs was common in physiology, pharmacology, and surgery. Today, the large majority of medical schools use more ethical and effective techniques to train their students.

As the AIMS Conference made clear, modern simulators and training software have many advantages over training on anesthetized animals. A student who trains with a simulator not only has the advantage of learning on human anatomy, but also has the ability to repeat the procedure until it has been mastered. In an animal laboratory, a student can practice a procedure only once before the animal is killed.

Simulators can save human lives by reducing the chance of a medical mistake, according to Steve Dawson, M.D., an interventional radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and co-leader of the AIMS Conference. “…We are bringing a focus to the advances in technologies outside medicine that can be harnessed for greater safety,” said Dr. Dawson. “It is critical that we reduce errors through the advanced application of computing and educational systems.”

Several simulators were on display at the exhibition on Capitol Hill. Virgil, a chest trauma training device, is a prototype designed by the SimGroup to help train medics. Virgil gives students extra help by telling them what they did wrong at the end of a training session.

Laparoscopic surgery is awkward for beginning surgeons, because they feel far away from the actual organs and have to view the process on a screen. CELTS, a laparoscopic surgery training device, provides lifelike practice for surgeons who want to use the popular surgery technique. CELTS also provides students with a score to let them know how they did.

Read more about simulators that are providing enhanced and ethical training for medical students.

PCRM Online, June 2006

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