Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Simulations can provide healthcare students
with the opportunity to improve communication
and, thus, enhance patient safety. Collaboration
and social negotiation of meaning is an important
part of the problem-solving process in a team
structure (Savery & Duffy, 1995). Research has
shown that communication failures are an impor-
tant cause of errors and accidents, with various
studies illustrating a high rate of communication
and teamwork failures in healthcare practice (Sex-
ton, Thomas, & Helmreich, 2000; Lingard et al.,
2004). Such studies identify a fundamental need
for simulation to assist healthcare students learn
both technical and non-technical skills required
for the real world conduct of their profession.
Using an appropriately developed simulated
case scenario, healthcare team members can
work collaboratively within a clinical situation
by assessing the presented symptoms, provid-
ing appropriate interventions, and managing the
simulation response to the various treatments.
A well developed simulated scenario requires
clinicians to solve problems, work as a team, and
communicate effectively with their colleagues and
other providers (Beyea & Kobokovich, 2004). It
follows that well designed simulations have the
capacity to build the communicative and col-
laborative skill foundation for developing safe
healthcare practitioners (Koutantji et al., 2008).
To understand the outcomes of simulation in
enhancing the learning process, many researchers
have studied the impact of integrating technol-
ogy with constructivist methods in simulation
training over the last two decades. The literature
discussed in this section illustrates how scenario-
based simulation can assist healthcare students
to make transitions to actual patient care and
clinical environments (Whitton & Hynes, 2006;
Koutantji et al., 2008). By combining technical
skills with human factors, team management, and
situational awareness concepts and incorporating
these into the design of a simulation, participants
concurrently learn and develop clinical skills and
concepts related to patient safety, reducing the
potential for errors in the workplace (Johnson et
al., 1999; Tiwari, Lai, So, & Yuen, 2006; Alinier
et al., 2006).
The Use of Computer and
Internet-Based Simulations
in Healthcare education
Over the last few decades, computer-based
simulations have become a popular platform for
simulating clinical experience as they have a
relatively low cost, allow for flexible learning,
lend themselves to student-centered pedagogies,
and encourage engagement in active learning
(Benson, 2004; Alinier, 2007). Furthermore, on
a broader level, advancements in information
and communication technologies (ICTs), as well
as the changing needs and demands of students,
who now typically juggle multiple demands and
cannot always be physically present on campus,
are profoundly influencing instructional formats
and delivery modes of healthcare programs at
tertiary education institutions worldwide. The
acknowledged benefits of online learning de-
livery in this field include but are not limited to
enhancement of marketability; maximization of
students' choice of learning styles, location, time,
and place of learning; reduction in instruction
time; enhancement of effectiveness and mastery
of learning; potential improvements in retention;
and increases in student motivation, satisfaction,
and enjoyment of the learning experience (Farrell
& McGrath, 2001; Kenny, 2002).
Early uses of digital simulation involved
using the computer to carry out a series of
statistical trials using the Monte Carlo method
(Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994). Today, advances
in graphical, acoustic, and haptic technologies
have opened up myriad possibilities in terms of
ways in which interactive digital simulations can
be used in healthcare education. VR simulations,
in particular, have become a popular avenue for
allowing healthcare students to practice a range
of skills and improve techniques without the con-
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