The use of simulation in the education of emergency care providers for cardiac emergencies

BACKGROUND: Traditional methods of educating residents and medical students using lectures and bedside teaching are no longer sufficient. Today’s generation of trainees grew up in a multimedia environment, learning on the World Wide Web instead of reading books. It is unreasonable to expect the educational model developed 50 years ago to be able to adequately train the medical students and residents of today. One area that is difficult to teach is the diagnosis and management of the critically ill patient, specifically cardiac emergencies and cardiac arrest. RATIONALE: In the management of a patient in cardiac arrest, it is sometimes the least experienced provider giving chest compressions, intubating the patient, and running the code during the most crucial moment in that patient’s life. METHODS: Patient simulation has emerged as an educational tool that allows the learner to practice patient care, away from the bedside, in a controlled and safe environment, giving the learner the opportunity to practice the educational principles of deliberate practice and self-refection. We performed a qualitative literature review of the uses of simulators in medical training with a focus on their current and potential applications in cardiac emergencies.