Implementing a cost effective and configurable hybrid simulation platform in healthcare education, using wearable and web-based technologies.

There are many examples of hybrid simulation models in healthcare education which are designed to simulate specific scenarios. However, there appears to be a need for a cost effective and configurable hybrid simulation platform which can be used by educators of various healthcare disciplines to simulate different scenarios. The purpose of this paper is to develop a proof-of-concept platform that can be easily implemented at little cost and provide flexibility to healthcare instructors to develop a variety of simulation scenarios, and to determine the effectiveness of this platform. Using a standardized patient, a person acting as a patient in a scripted manner, along with wearable and web-based technologies, a congestive heart failure simulation was used as an evaluative exercise for a group of personal support worker students at a Canadian Community College. Personal support workers typically provide care to any person who may require personal assistance with activities of daily living such as feeding, lifting, bathing, skin care and oral hygiene to name a few. Standardized patients are typically used in healthcare education to educate and evaluate soft skills, such as caregiver to patient communication, professionalism, as well as hard skills, such as history taking, examination and diagnostic skills (Rosen in J Crit Care 23:157-166, 2008). Instructor feedback indicated that the platform was easy to use and capable of simulating a large variety of scenarios. Pre and post test results are evidence of initial findings of promise indicating that the platform seemed to be effective in enabling students to meet learning outcomes. Focus group results seem to indicate an increase in student confidence as it relates to their ability to handle a similar scenario in the workplace.