As a world leader in building clinical simulations and simulators to improve health outcomes, Laerdal proudly announces a new Educational Services course: Simulating for Equitable Health Outcomes. The 2020 U.S. Census Diversity Index shows a 61% probability of two randomly chosen individuals being from different racial and ethnic groups; the imperative for healthcare systems to adapt is more pressing than ever. This demographic shift underscores the need for healthcare professionals to be well-versed in managing a spectrum of patients with unique backgrounds and healthcare needs. This HealthySimulation.com article by Teresa Gore, PhD, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE-A, FSSH, FAAN, will provide an overview of Laerdal’s solution to improve equitable healthcare Outcomes.
Laerdal Simulation for Equitable Healthcare Outcomes: A New Era in Medical Training
Traditional didactic methods, while foundational, often fall short in preparing healthcare providers for the dynamic and diverse nature of patient care. This is where Laerdal, a pioneer in medical simulation, steps in with its groundbreaking Simulating for Equitable Health Outcomes course. This program is designed not only to improve knowledge retention but to integrate diversity training thoroughly into the core of healthcare education.
Why Laerdal’s Approach Is Different
Unlike conventional simulation training, which may superficially address diversity through the variation of simulator skin tones or genders, Laerdal’s course delves deeper into the nuances of equitable healthcare. The course is structured to address all facets of simulation-based learning to ensure comprehensive and insightful training.
Participants in the course will become equipped to confront and rectify healthcare disparities and biases, which can significantly affect patient outcomes. The course components are purposefully crafted to foster and create foundational knowledge of these significant issues, which include:
- Knowledge Enhancement: Learners gain insights into the statistics behind healthcare disparities for a solid factual foundation.
- Bias Identification: The course helps to identify and address harmful biases that may influence patient care.
- Impact Awareness: There is a strong focus on understanding how biases affect patient care outcomes.
- Creating Safe Environments: The clinical training emphasizes the importance of creating safe and brave spaces during simulation briefings.
- Facilitator Training: Healthcare educators are taught how to comfortably and effectively facilitate simulations that incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content.
- Communication Skills: During DEI simulations, participants learn essential phrases and communication techniques for navigating difficult conversations.
- Resource Identification: The course also guides learners to identify and utilize resources within their facilities to support DEI simulations.
Simulating for Equitable Health Outcomes Course Structure
The course follows a comprehensive agenda that includes:
- Pre-course and post-course questionnaires to assess knowledge and perception shifts
- Prebriefing sessions that prepare participants for the simulations
- Simulated scenarios that reflect real-world situations requiring attention to DEI
- Debriefing sessions that focus on reflection and discussion of the simulations
- Educational reflection to consolidate learning and plan future applications
Role of the Educational Representative
A key aspect of Laerdal’s approach is the role of the Educational Representative, who is instrumental to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. These representatives assist the participants to navigate Laerdal’s resources, conduct interactive agendas, and facilitate discussions that deepen the understanding of biases and their impacts. Their role is critical to ensure that each training session is tailored to meet the specific goals and needs of the program participants.
View the LEARN CE/CME Platform Webinar Elevate Your Healthcare Simulation Impact with Laerdal’s Latest Innovations to learn more!
The Impact of the Course
Through Laerdal’s comprehensive and thoughtful approach to simulation-based learning, the Simulating for Equitable Health Outcomes Course equips healthcare professionals with the tools they need to serve a diverse patient population effectively. Through the integration of DEI into medical training, Laerdal not only responds to the changing demographics of America but actively works towards a future where equitable healthcare outcomes are the norm, not the exception.
The Simulating for Equitable Health Outcomes course is one of the latest in Laerdal’s endeavor to improve healthcare outcomes. Other strategies include:
MamaAnne: A maternal healthcare simulator, newly-launched in 2024. MamaAnne provides high-quality healthcare training to address the increasing maternal mortality rates. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), maternal deaths occur nearly every two minutes, which results in over a quarter million mothers dying a year. Maternal mortality rates are on the rise, especially in the Americas and Europe, when considering racial disparities. Four out of five pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. MamaAnne offers healthcare professionals the opportunity to practice highly acute obstetric scenarios to cultivate competence and confidence, ensuring better maternal health outcomes in real-life situations.
One Million Lives Campaign: A goal of helping save one million more lives every year by 2030. Laerdal is much more than a “simulator” company; which has several arms that include Laerdal Medical, Laerdal Global Health, Laerdal Foundation, and Laerdal Million Lives Fund. Laerdal’s global initiative is to help save lives through education, therapy solutions, and services while becoming carbon neutral by 2030. In 2020, Laerdal established a goal to help save one million more lives every year by 2030 in a sustainable way, minimizing the impact on the environment. Laerdal understands that collaborative partnerships with the community (bystanders), first responders, and healthcare workers will be required to accomplish this goal. The Million Lives Fund aims to educate and provide these lifesavers with the knowledge and skills to perform their role more effectively. The One Million Lives Program Goals Include:
- Improve survival in the community Sudden Cardiac Death – Chain of Survival – high-quality CPR and early defibrillation
- Quality care in the hospital
- Save lives at birth in low-resource settings: antenatal care, labor management, birth, postpartum care, and newborn care.
- Strengthen midwifery education, scaling up “Kangaroo Mother Care” to help small babies, safer birth bundles, data-driven quality improvements, safer cesarean sections and anesthesia, and family planning.
More About Laerdal
Laerdal, a Norwegian-based company, continues to be a pioneer in the industry of medical simulation. Almost every year, Laerdal Medical Corporation unveils a new technology that will forever change the face of healthcare simulation. Along with SimMan Critical Care, Laerdal introduced MamaAnne, a birthing simulator, in 2024. Some of Laerdal’s other innovative products have been the SimMan 3G, SimMan ALS, SimBaby, Nursing Anne Simulator, SimPad, Resusci Anne QCPR and the turnkey simulation solution, Accelerate. Laerdal ensures that their product interfaces are intuitive and user-friendly, all while providing maximum durability and quality.
Learn More About Laerdal’s Approach to Improve Equitable Health Outcomes!
