The 5th Saudi Health Simulation Conference (SHSC) opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to hundreds of healthcare simulation champions from across the country, region, and the world, which was attended by the Minister of Health Saudi Arabia, Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel. Chairman of the Supreme Committee Deputy Minister for Human Resources Mr. Abdulrahman A. Alaiban opened the event, welcoming clinical simulation champions to five days of powerful keynote presentations, immersive workshops, networking events, vendor demonstrations, research updates, and more. HealthySimulation.com was invited to Riyadh to cover the event with updates shared in this article, and as well will be updated throughout the week via the official hashtag #SHSC_2022. The premiere event returns after a two-year hiatus following COVID and celebrates its 5th year with 5 days of innovative content, providing over 15 plenary sessions, 40 workshops, an innovative hackathon event, several competitions, and 160 CME hours!
After the opening ceremonies, the Organizing Committee Panel discussed how to develop and increase the quality of human resources related to health. Mr. Ahmed Alfehaid, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and Director General of Training and Academic Affairs at the Saudi Ministry of Health appreciated the great patronage and support of the Minister of Health who champions the idea of expanding healthcare simulation in Saudi Arabia to become a global leader in healthcare performance. The panel discussed the opportunity of simulation in healthcare to bridge the gap in clinical knowledge and enhance clinical skills. The panel members agreed that the maturity of healthcare simulation in the kingdom of Saudi has continued and that clinicians and educators in the Kingdom have gone beyond the fundamentals, which is represented now at the conference this week through the focused attention on specialized usages of simulation with in-depth considerations. The panel reminded the audience that each day of the conference would focus on a different topic, covering the optimization of healthcare simulation, the safety of patients, facility management, development and innovation, and finally the future of healthcare.
Prof. Debra Nestel, Ph.D., FAcadMEd, FSSH Professor of Simulation Education in Healthcare, Monash University, Professor of Surgical Education, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Australia provided the opening keynote address on “Trends in Healthcare Simulation Research: What’s Happening in 2022?”. She demonstrated the dramatic exponential growth, quality, and breadth of topics specific to medical simulation research studies across the globe. She reflected on current research trends which included simulated patients (aka standardized patients), psychological safety, the relationship between simulation and clinical practice, reviews of our simulation programs, and research reporting guidelines. She reported that Editors of Chiefs of JOURNALS suggested a rethinking of clinical education, mostly due to COVID, and simulation responding to macro-level organizational issues.
Dr. Benjamin Smallheer, Ph.D., RN, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, CCRN, CNE, Associate Professor at the Duke University School of Nursing, and Board Member of the International Nursing Association for Simulation and Learning (INACSL) provided Day 1’s afternoon keynote on “Diverse Learners Through Challenging Simulation Experiences “. He pointed to INACSL’s Healthcare Simulation Standards to help guide educators in creating meaningful nursing simulation events which create impact, including constructing measurable objectives, aligning modalities, planning a learn-centered approach, creating inclusive prebriefings and debriefings, and of course, developing reflective evaluations.
On the morning of Day 2, Dr. Mohammed Alwadie, MBBS, Manager of Patient Safety Programs at the Saudi Patient Safety Center provided the opening plenary session on “Enhancing National Patient Safety Through Simulation”, where he suggested that while healthcare simulation is a crucial part of improving patient safety, the technology could not be the only solution to the challenges of improving patient safety. He reminded the audience that patient safety events result from latent failures that simulation has a role in identifying and that clinical simulation is a strategy to achieve better patient safety culture. He suggested that instead of blaming the individual healthcare provider for a medical error, we must begin to hold the healthcare institution more accountable.
Later in the day, Dr. Jameel Talal Abualenain, MD, MPH, FACEP, FAAEM, CHSE, General Supervisor of the General Directorate of Emergencies, Disasters, & Ambulance Services at Ministry of Health, provided an overview of “Mass Gatherings Disaster Simulation: The Hajj Experience”. Dr. Abualenain explained the importance of the tabletop exercises with various stakeholders in order to plan out simulated disaster events, as part of a roadmap toward planning massive Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drills. By focusing on developing meaningful learning objectives, we can ensure all the necessary components including volunteers, moulage application, transportation logistics, and prebriefing plans. He warned that the scale of such events can create overwhelming demands for participants and clinical care interruptions, especially around logistics — so the more time simulation programs have for planning the better.
In the exhibit hall, HealthySimulation.com Founder/CEO Lance Baily was impressed by the number of government agencies, military groups like the Ministry of Defense, EMS organizations like the Red Crescents, clinical education institutions like Princess Nourah University, professional development licensing groups, nursing organizations, and vendors such as Leader Healthcare and Simulead participating in support of the Saudi Health Simulation Conference.
Follow #SHSC_2022 on Twitter and LinkedIn for additional SHSC content throughout this entire week!
More About the Saudi Health Simulation Conference
The Saudi Health Simulation Conference is the premier platform for optimal and unique healthcare simulation practices in the Middle East. The event is designed to meet the passion and needs of healthcare professionals looking to increase their knowledge and awareness of the field of medical simulation.
This year’s Saudi Health Simulation Conference hosted premier national and international speakers. Healthcare simulation professionals and exhibitors, both national and international, were also in attendance to showcase the latest practices and technologies across the clinical simulation. Additionally, this event addressed educational content delivered through CME-accredited conferences tailored to healthcare simulation professionals, learners, and the private sector.
Overall, the mission of the Saudi Health Simulation Conference is to optimize the utilization of healthcare simulation in education, research, and assessment. The event will promote the impact of healthcare simulation applications on healthcare quality and patient safety while sharing the latest trends in healthcare simulation administration. Further, SHSC22 focused on the evolution and innovations in healthcare simulation. Presenters will focus on the potential of healthcare simulation in supporting the future of healthcare as well. Those in attendance included healthcare professionals, healthcare researchers and educators, healthcare leaders, and simulation lab coordinators and technicians.
“After an extraordinary pause for two consecutive seasons, here we are again with an updated look, pleased to announce the launching of the fifth edition of The Saudi Health Simulation Conference (SHSC2022),” shared Abdulrahman A. Alaiban, chairman of the Supreme Committee and deputy minister for human resources within the Ministry of Health “It is the pleasure of the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia to host this regional unique conference to build bridges of cooperation with the specialized and distinguished national and international authorities and institutions in the field of healthcare education.”
“The Saudi Health Simulation Conference (SHSC) has successfully provided an impactful platform over the years for global experts in this field. It has showcased invaluable experiences and imparted an immense wealth of knowledge,” added Dr. Sami Alsolamy, MD, MBA, MPH, the assistant deputy minister for human resources development within the Ministry of Health. “The overall aim is to contribute to the goal of achieving best healthcare practices supported by the pivotal role of healthcare simulation in the workforce and mentorship in the national health sector.”
Learn More About SHSC22
HealthySimulation.com has signed a letter of intent to collaborate with the Saudi Ministry of Health’s General Directorate of Academic Affairs and Training in support of expanding clinical simulation development in Saudi Arabia and the region.
