Ontario Tech University and Lakeridge Health develop innovative medical training simulation

Lakeridge Health Critical Care staff use simulation training drills to practice landmark identification and proper insertion technique.

Major advances in technology have made it more feasible than ever for healthcare professionals to improve their skills through simulation training. A powerful learning resource recommended by researchers at Ontario Tech University, healthcare simulation exercises allow nurses and other healthcare professionals to gain new competencies related to surgical procedures and emergency situations in a real-life environment, without putting patients or staff at risk.

Medical simulators allow healthcare professionals to practice and replay scenarios as many times as they need without the need for feedback from a real patient. Despite these advancements in medical education, there remains unequal access to quality simulation training programs among healthcare professionals.

Addressing the skills development gap

Recognizing gaps and disparities in skills development opportunities for health care professionals, a community-based partnership between Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Health Sciences (FHSc) and Lakeridge Health’s Critical Care Program is making great strides to improve access to high-quality simulation resources both locally and globally.

maxSIMhealth, the Ontario Tech University's healthcare simulation and research lab, is at the forefront of innovation. The effort is led by Dr. Adam Dubrowski, Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Healthcare Simulation, in collaboration with Nurse Jann Weary of Lakeridge Health.

The CRC-funded collaboration focuses on developing cost-effective, scalable simulation tools and platforms to standardize simulation curricula and ensure uniform training opportunities.

This collaboration ensures patients receive the highest standards of care

Over the past two years, Lakeridge Health has noticed an increase in the need for rapid intraosseous (IO) injections, a medical procedure in which fluids and medications are injected directly into the bone marrow. IOs are essential in emergency situations where venous access is difficult. Due to a post-COVID nursing shortage and a surge in new hires, staff skilled in IO insertions have become rare. Existing educational materials, including expensive commercial simulators, were more than five years out of date and no longer provided a realistic simulation of IO insertion.

Lakeridge Health contacted maxSIMhealth and utilized the expertise of Ontario Tech FHSc graduate students, specifically Julia Micallef, one of Dr. Dubrowski's doctoral students, to develop new, modern, and cost-effective simulators. These simulators had previously been designed and rigorously tested in collaboration with Durham University's Paramedic Training Program and Dale Button, a paramedic and educator in Lakeridge Health's Central East Prehospital Care Program, but were redesigned to better suit their new purpose.

The new simulator was adopted to teach IO insertion to RNs in the intensive care unit. The success of this initiative led to its expansion to Lakeridge Health's emergency department and respiratory therapy department. All new hires to the hospital's intensive care unit now receive this training during their residency. The training was also recently expanded to Queen's University medical student residents working in the Lakeridge Health intensive care unit in Oshawa.

More innovative medical simulation applications and cost savings

In addition to redeveloping the IO simulator, maxSIMhealth provided Lakeridge Health with an innovative solution for simulated training drills that traditionally cost approximately $1,000 per unit and have a limited lifespan because they are not rechargeable. maxSIMhealth's solution was to use small, commercially available handheld drills ($15 per unit) and outfit them with custom-made 3D printed drill adapters to transform them from household items into simulated life-saving devices. These devices were recently adopted by Dr. Patrik Hallmén, a Swedish physician, who requested the designs be shared in order to develop a cost-effective training program for military medics on the front lines of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Expanding Impact: Pediatric Training and Infusion Practice Kits

Building on the success of the IO insertion training project, the hospital's emergency department and maxSIMhealth are partnering to create a similar simulator customized for pediatric care. Additionally, the multi-agency team has undertaken smaller projects, such as developing an intravenous (IV) cannulation (transfer of fluids between containers) practice kit that allows frontline staff to practice IV insertion with blood flashback (the first sign of blood in the syringe), a capability that was not previously available at Lakeridge Health.

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“Our collaboration with Lakeridge Health will enhance healthcare training by creating affordable, scalable simulation tools that will enable high-quality skills development and improved patient care.” – Dr. Adam Dubrovsky, Canada Research Fellow in Healthcare Simulation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University

“These simulation tools are more realistic and easier to use than traditional tools, allowing staff to be more prepared and confident when they need to use these skills on patients. There is no longer a delay in gaining IV access, improving patient care during emergency situations.” – Jann Weary, Clinical Practice Lead, Lakeridge Health Critical Care Program

Lakeridge Health Critical Care staff use simulation training drills to practice landmark identification and proper insertion technique.

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Dr. Adam Dubrowski, Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Simulation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University;

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