Simulation-based Education and Human Factors Training in Postgraduate Medical Education: A Northern Ireland Perspective

Abstract

With their potential to improve patient safety, simulation based education (SBE) and human factors training are gaining momentum across the spectrum of medical education. There are ever increasing drivers for their integration, in particular within the postgraduate arena. This article aims to provide an overview of both simulation based education and human factors training. The breadth of terminology can be bewildering and our target audience is novice or developing practitioners and policymakers. We focus particularly on a regional setting where the Northern Ireland Simulation and Human Factors Network (NISHFN) is working to advance the field.

Keywords: Human factors; Simulation; Simulation-based education.

Fig 1.

Postgraduate trainees practising surgical cricothyroidotomy on a task simulator.

Fig 2.

Photograph taken at the NISHFN Autumn Conference and published with permission from CAE healthcare. Products featured (left to right): Human worn partial task surgical simulator (cut suit), Replay audio-visual tool used for debriefing, Apollo patient simulator.

Fig 3.

Anaesthetic trainees experiencing the blended approach to learning through SBE with faculty observing them demonstrate their clinical knowledge as well as non-technical skills such as teamwork and communication.

Fig 4.

Candidates at a SBE course experiencing communication and decision making in a simulated emergency.