To enhance the sustainability of a clinical simulation lab requires thoughtful planning, creativity, and resourcefulness. Healthcare simulation labs often depend on expensive equipment, patient simulators, and consumable supplies like simulated intravenous fluids and medications. Appropriate management of these resources is essential to ensure teaching tools are readily available to faculty and staff. To address these challenges, educators and managers can adopt practical strategies to extend the life of their resources, reduce costs, and improve the efficiency of their healthcare simulation programs. This HealthySimulation.com article by Ciara Berry, DNP, RN, CHSE, CNEcl, will highlight an effective strategy to enhance the sustainability of a healthcare simulation program.
Consumable Supplies WIll Keep Running Out
Consumable supplies are a recurring expense for most healthcare simulation programs. If organizations can find solutions to maximize the use of these materials, costs can be significantly cut. For example, commonly used items like intravenous tubing and fluids can be reused safely across multiple clinical simulation sessions if protocols for how to clean, inspect, and store these supplies are established. Prepackaged simulated medications can also be resealed for future use with resealable bags or Velcro closures to help preserve a realistic experience and save money. When programs develop clear guidelines on which items can be reused and for how long, the safety and quality of the clinical simulation program can be ensured. This reduces the additional financial burden on the program’s budget and allows those funds to be used for other needed resources.
Documentation Keeps Everyone and Everything Organized
The transition from paper-based documentation to digital solutions for healthcare simulation programs offers a cost-effective approach which aligns with modern healthcare practices. Readily available tools, such as Google Forms, Microsoft Word, and Excel, can serve as practical alternatives for medical documentation. For programs equipped with simulated electronic health record (EHR) systems, these platforms provide learners with a realistic documentation experience and eliminate excessive paper usage.
The implementation and maintenance of a simulated EHR can be costly. To ensure sustainability, healthcare simulation programs must develop a strategic plan to manage ongoing expenses. This plan should include considerations for budget allocation, faculty training, and periodic software updates. Clinical simulation team members can collaborate to design efficient digital documentation forms to further streamline processes, reduce waste, and enhance operational efficiency.
View the HealthySimulation.com Webinar Successful Healthcare Simulation Leadership: Tools to Make a Difference to learn more!
Never Trash: Repurpose Old or Broken Equipment
Outdated or broken simulators and task trainers also present opportunities for resourcefulness. Programs should consider other options to creatively utilize these products. For instance, older manikins can be used for moulage practice or trauma scenarios. Their worn condition makes them ideal for heavy moulage applications. These manikins can also be paired with advanced tools like simulated vital sign monitors or standardized patients to create realistic scenarios. Even damaged simulators can serve as task trainers for basic skills like CPR, wound care, or patient positioning. This can allow programs to continue to benefit from these resources and increase the sustainability of their products.
Operational Management Requires Attention to Detail
Effective operational management is a component to integrate these strategies. Unfortunately, many clinical simulation programs lack the funds to hire a dedicated operations manager. Without proper management, equipment and supplies may be underutilized, damaged due to improper use, and may be inadequately cleaned and stored. To address this, healthcare simulation programs must establish standardized processes to ensure consistent maintenance and management of resources.
Healthcare simulation administrators can utilize current staffing resources to identify team members capable of the management of specific tasks, such as equipment maintenance, supply management, and quality control. The use of detailed standard operating procedures manuals can outline how to clean, store, and inspect equipment to allow all staff members to be consistent. Administrators should also train new staff to be familiar with these procedures and policies to maintain consistency over time. Periodic reviews of these processes can identify areas for improvement and allow for adjustments to meet new challenges. A thoughtful and consistent approach to the management of supplies, equipment, and operational processes can enhance sustainability, even without a dedicated operations manager.
View the newHealthySimulation.com Community Administration group to discuss this topic with your Global Healthcare Simulation peers!
Moulage Can Be Operationalized
Premade moulage kits can significantly impact a healthcare simulation program’s budget, as large kits are often expensive and include many components that may go underutilized. However, simulation programs can create their own customized moulage kits which utilize inexpensive supplies and equipment readily available at local retail stores. This creative and resourceful approach allows clinical simulation programs to achieve realistic results within budget constraints.
There are numerous online resources, such as social media platforms, which offer step-by-step instructions and video tutorials on how to create cost-effective moulage. There are now AI programs available for novice and experienced simulationists to provide detailed information about moulage applications in simulation, such as the example is ChatGPT – Moulage Application Developer. Healthcare simulation educators and operators are encouraged to explore these resources, as they provide practical guidance and inspiration for the development of realistic moulage pieces. Practice and repetition of moulage application techniques are essential to ensure high-quality results to benefit the healthcare simulation program and enhance learners’ experiences.
As moulage techniques advance, healthcare simulation staff should actively explore and experiment with various methods of moulage placement on both patient simulators and standardized patients (SPs). Prioritize the safety and preservation of equipment to ensure no damage to simulators or undue harm to the standardized patient when you apply moulage methods. This hands-on experimentation enables staff to refine their skills, identify effective approaches for diverse scenarios, and optimize the realism of simulations. Burns, lacerations, or bruise moulage application can significantly enhance the authenticity of specific scenarios. This fosters deeper learner engagement and helps to improve comprehension of clinical concepts.
Holistic Approach to Cover the Bases
When clinical simulation educators or operators develop successful moulage techniques, they should share them with colleagues and other healthcare simulation professionals. This can contribute to the growth of best practices related to moulage application. Collaborative learning and the exchange of ideas promote innovative and cost-effective solutions that help advance the integration of simulation into health professions education.
Ultimately, methods needed to maintain a sustainable healthcare simulation lab require creativity, teamwork, and intentional preparation. When programs increase the use of consumable supplies, repurpose older equipment, use cost-effective moulage techniques, and embrace digital tools, they can help reduce costs and improve efficiency. These strategies help clinical simulation programs continue to provide innovative educational experiences and allow them to avoid many of the challenges faced in healthcare simulation program management.
Learn More About Healthcare Simulation Center Sustainability!
