Best Simulation Lab Equipment List
The use of simulation laboratories has increased dramatically as their improved medical education is well documented. Simulation lab expertise comes with practice and experience and the equipment offers the ideal learning space where practitioners improve their skills without any potential harm to patients. So whether you are a student or practitioner, you should have a proper Simulation Lab Equipment List and a clear understanding of the simulation lab.
In this case, reading the article will help you gain complete knowledge of the simulation lab and a proper list of the equipment for proper planning and building.
Simulation Laboratory
A simulation laboratory offers huge learning opportunities to students and practitioners. Typically, a simulation lab nursing center consists of manikins, clinical lab simulation rooms, and equipment to help the students practice and improve clinical expertise without any chance of patient harm.
In the simulation lab, practitioners apply their theoretical knowledge in hands-on scenarios that imitate various clinical situations. These scenarios vary from simple to complex levels.
For example, healthcare simulations are used in nursing and undergraduate school, residencies, internships, and ongoing training for qualified practitioners. Some of the common simulation scenarios are GI bleeding, labor and delivery complications, asthma attacks in pediatric patients, cardiac arrest, and newborn hypoxia.
Additionally, virtual lab simulation offers a unique opportunity for students and hospital staff to practice interdisciplinary care, team communication, and patient safety.
Types of Clinical Simulation
In general, clinical simulation can be divided into three different areas. They are:
Prebriefing
It provides information to the practitioners about the patient’s condition. It also includes a review of the standard.
Simulation Scenario
It’s a case study with certain learning outcomes that can be reproduced in a simulation laboratory with a higher fidelity patient simulator. A practitioner who plays various healthcare roles must react to the scene as they are treating a live patient. Other practitioners may watch and listen to the one via live video.
Debriefing
Practitioners reflect and review their actions throughout the scenario and find out what went well and badly, as well as ways to enhance future performance. Even debriefing is a key component of simulation education where the practitioners consider their behaviors, learn through practice, improve future behaviors, and finally become healthcare practitioners.
The greater the simulation lab and the similarity of the scenario, the more likely the practitioner will ignore reality and behave as they are in real clinical situations. Simulation laboratories are designed to mimic lots of hospital locations like operating theaters, labor and delivery rooms, emergency rooms, general medical-surgical floors, critical care units, and pediatric intensive care units.
However, some healthcare hospitals only have a single simulation lab with or without separate control rooms and debriefing rooms. These simulations in healthcare programs generally adjust the instruments around to match the required clinical emphasis.
In addition, the larger simulation center contains a cluster of nursing simulation labs and medical simulation labs with higher fidelity sim debriefing rooms, preparation rooms, control rooms, and storage rooms. There may also be separate labs for task trainers, patient examination rooms, and surgical simulators, as well as a computer room and classroom for computer-assisted learning.
Simulation Lab Equipment List
The simulation laboratory has a range of electronics and audio-video equipment as well as specialized manikins. The type and quantity of equipment depend on the participant’s learning room, the budget to operate, the available space, maintenance, build, and staff.
Operating Room Simulation Equipment
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Syringe Pump
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Electrosurgical Unit
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Anesthesia Machine
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Anesthesia Monitor
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Endoscopy Tower
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Surgical Light
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Surgery Table
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Surgical Tourniquet
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Stainless Steel Furniture & Accessories
Perioperative Care Simulation Equipment
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Hospital Bed
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Vital Signs Monitor
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Patient Monitor
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Infusion Pump
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Privacy Screen
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ECG System
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Diagnostic System
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Crash Cart
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Headwall Simulation System
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Medical Furniture
Exam Room Simulation Equipment
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Medical Cabinetry
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Side Chair
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Medical Exam Table
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LED Examination Light
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Medical Stool
Birthing Suite Simulation Equipment
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Infant Incubator
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Fetal Monitor
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Infant Crib
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Infant Ventilator
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Infant Warmer
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Infant Bassinet and Frame
EMS Simulation Equipment
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Infusion Pump
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Defibrillators
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Video Laryngoscope
Respiratory Therapy Simulation Equipment
Building a Simulation Lab
Building a safe and perfect simulation laboratory takes fairly more planning and preparation. Stakeholders like IT, facilities, and pharmacy should also be consulted and involved in the planning phase. The learner level and learning outcomes, as well as available space and budget, should be identified.
Faculty development is crucial to ensure successful simulation programs. If faculty don’t understand simulation pedagogy like debriefing and scenario development, the fancy simulator will remain unused. You’ll require a fair budget for simulation technologists to operate, fix, and change the equipment.
In addition, annual maintenance contracts are essential yet expensive. The budget should also include costs for managers and administration. In earlier days, some departments brought costly and complex manikins and then applied them for their simulation programs. Even lots of manikins sat idle in storage or had costly features used rarely. In this case, you can consider less affordable mid-fidelity manikins that may work very well for some programs.
Final Words
Hope you’ve got a handy Simulation Lab Equipment List to set up a new medical simulation suite for an educational facility. This simulation-configured equipment will help your students get the hands-on training they need to fit in the birthing suite, perioperative care, operating room, exam room, and EMS simulations. So let’s start collecting this simulation lab equipment to mimic the reality of a clinical environment with minimal risk to patients.
FAQs
What is the purpose of a simulation lab in nursing?
A simulation lab in nursing allows students and healthcare practitioners to practice clinical skills and decision-making without risk to real patients.
What types of equipment are essential for a simulation lab?
Some essential Simulation Lab Equipment includes manikins, surgical lights, anesthesia machines, infusion pumps, respiratory ventilators, and diagnostic systems.
Why is simulation important in healthcare education?
Simulation in healthcare education provides a controlled environment where students and practitioners can gain hands-on experience, improve clinical skills, and enhance patient safety without risking harm to actual patients.