ASPiH 2018
The DREEAM team attended ASPiH 2018 in Southport. This episode was is a few thoughts recorded as ASPiH wrapped up with some points of interest.
A big theme at this conference was adapting simulations and culture to allow teaching during black alert and other pressures especially with winter coming. I recommend checking our the work of Bristol Medical Simulation Centre with their Sizemic Simulations. They have established minisims which take one individual off the shopfloor for 15 minutes only as a way of delivering one focused learning point. They were kind enough to provide some examples which we have in the photos below (click either side to navigate):
Another great example of this was the work presented by Catherine Holmes with a flexible weekly programme of in situ simulation which can be tailored to the circumstances of the department and the staff available.
It was inspiring to hear about novel simulations to cover areas of learning we perhaps wouldn’t have thought of using simulation in. This project from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust created multi-professional simulations for nurses, doctors and security teams looking at patients with behavioural disturbance.
Other inspiration was found from the great work at Medisim. Dr. McCrae, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at North Devonshire Trust, is developing novel simulation manniquins at a fraction of the cost of the kind we traditionally buy. The team were very approachable so I recommend having a look at them and getting in touch.
Other top tips were using cheaper materials such as Gelflex to simulate muscle or tattoo practice skin to create DIY simulation models.
There was talk about the best way to measure learner confidence with some projects using a mixed methods approach. For more information as to how this works check out here.
One project of interest was using a pump to simulate a ruptured AAA in a patient. Sadly the team didn’t attend to present but here’s their abstract which details how it was done:
Our very own Ali Whitfield was chairing the Special Interest Group for Simulation. We are hosting a SIG meeting in DREEAM on Friday 5th July. Please get in touch if you’d like to be involved!
And finally it was great to present my work on developing an app and embedding it into simulation with medical students. For more information check out here.
Please get in touch to share your own stories of ASPiH and let us know of your highlights. See you in Belfast 2019!
