SP safety, autonomy and healthcare simulation practice in the COVID-19 era

Lou Clark; Anne Woll; Tamara L Owens; Deltonia Shropshire; Bob Kiser; Grace Gephardt; Christine S Park

doi:10.1136/bmjstel-2020-000835

SP safety, autonomy and healthcare simulation practice in the COVID-19 era

BMJ Simul Technol Enhanc Learn. 2021 Feb 4;7(5):450-451. doi: 10.1136/bmjstel-2020-000835. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Lou Clark¹, Anne Woll², Tamara L Owens³, Deltonia Shropshire⁴, Bob Kiser⁵, Grace Gephardt⁶, Christine S Park⁷

Affiliations

¹ M Simulation and General Division of Medicine, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
² M Simulation, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
³ Clinical Skills and Simulation Centers, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.
⁴ Clinical Skills and Simulation Centers, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA.
⁵ Simulation and Integrative Learning Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
⁶ Simulation Education, Arkansas Children s Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
⁷ Department of Medical Education and Anesthesiology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Abstract

This letter expands upon the three tenets of the Healthcare Simulation Manifesto-comprehensive safety, collaborative advocacy, and ethical leadership. To do this, we will discuss two key terms: 'essential' and 'autonomy' in relation to safety for standardized/simulated patients (SPs). In this time of crisis, simulationists must move the boundary of skills training previously accepted as safe for human beings, and leverage technology to ensure the highest level of safety achievable for our SPs.

Keywords: COVID-19; safety; simulated patient; simulation centre operations / administration; standardised patients (actors).