Clinical Simulations is the use of model-driven patient simulators, such as the METI HPS, ECS and iStan, in a realistic clinical environment for the purpose of immersing the healthcare profession students/trainee in environments that closely mimic real patient environments. During a simulation, students are run through a medical event or scenario tailored to the learning needs of the students. Depending upon the sought learning experience simulation may be on basic skills assessments to critical care cases.

Simulations in healthcare are also used to teach therapeutic and diagnostic procedures using surgical simulators and trainers', such as the SurgicalSIM® LTS for laparoscopic training & SurgicalSIM® TURP for Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), and the Pelvic ExamSIM® for female pelvic examination skills training.

These simulators are connected to computers that may provide feedback, reaction and/or assessment of the trainee.

Among the great advantages of Clinical Simulation is the ability for students to experience high risk or critical care scenarios without risk to real patients.

Simulations not only provide a good platform for technical skills training but more importantly they provide for the development or training on communication skills, and critical thinking and decision making skills. Communication skills and decision making skills in a clinical environment are skill sets not easy to observe and difficult to teach in a regular classroom environment or through the use of non-responsive manikins and simulators.

Patient safety issues are solved by the use of model-driven patient simulators, no danger is posed to a patient even when simulating critical care events while providing true-to-life hands-on experience to trainees. Recent DOH circulars restricting student participation in critical care events in hospitals due to patient safety issues, clinical simulations provide a solution to bridge this gap in clinical experience in critical care.

1. Model driven for automatic physiologic response to such interventions as the administration of drugs and fluids, ventilation, defibrillation . . .
2. 12 pulse sites synchronized to physiology of circulation and chest compressions
3. Realistic intubateable airway that can manifest occlusion of the airway due to pharyngeal obstruction, tongue edema and laryngospasm, left and right bronchial obstruction to simulate “Can Intubate, Can Ventilate”, “Cannot Intubate, Can Ventilate”, “Cannot Intubate, Cannot Ventilate” scenarios.
4. Heart, lung and bowel sounds
5. CPR – ABC check (Airway, Breathing, Circulation), Spontaneous and mechanical ventilation, Chest Compression, Blood Pressure
6. Symmetric and Asymmetric Lung Ventilation
7. Pharmacologic intervention through a library of over 50 intravenous drugs with pre-programmed pharmacokenitic and pharmacodynamic parameters, patient’s response to drug administration is automatic
8. ECG Monitoring via real 3 or 5 lead ECG, patient can be defibrillated, paced and cardioverted
9. ECG, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and other physiologic parameters can be displayed on simulated waveform display
10. Patient profiles can be created via Patient Editor
11. Medical scenarios can be created via Scenario Editor

There are many fields related to medical care that use METI Patient Simulators, doctors, and anaesthesiologists in particular, train on the Human Patient Simulator®-HPS®, these simulators have what is sometimes called “anaesthesia lungs”. They simulate a person breathing in gases, from normal air to anaesthesia gases from an anaesthesia machine, and they will then respond accordingly. It features powerful computers and gas analyzers to simulate the breathing of a real person and how a person will react to anaesthesia or drugs. As such, fellows in anaesthesiology can practice and train on the HPS in the administration of anaesthesia gases without risk to a real human being. 75% of all medical schools in the United States use METI simulators.

Nurses, EMS, and Search and Rescue crews, worldwide are trained with METI’s line of model driven Patient Simulator such as the HPS, the Emergency Care Simulator® - ECS®, or the iStan, to hone their skills in saving human lives. Other first responders, such as firemen and policemen are also regularly trained in many countries using patient simulators, again to train them in saving lives in a realistic simulated environment. Soldiers throughout the world are regularly trained using the ECS and iStan, and the iStan was specifically developed to make the patient simulator totally mobile for use in training in the field, and transfer procedures whether via an ambulance, a Humvee, a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft. Even NASA astronauts are trained on airway management in zero gravity environment and other medical emergencies using METI patient simulators.

For anaesthesia training and/or anaesthesia residency programs the METI HPS, with its “anaesthesia lungs” is ideal. For military, EMS Crews, Search & Rescue, Police, Firemen and other first responders, or where mobility is crucial the iStan is ideal.

For nursing education the METI ECS or iStan is ideal.

The use of patient simulators for assessment of healthcare professionals is fast being adopted by many healthcare facilities. METI model driven patient simulators, having the ability to give physiologic reaction or feedback, provides an objective and standardized means of assessing clinical skills, communications skills, and decision making skills of healthcare professionals. Hospitals are adopting the technology to assess and orient nurses, doctors and other professionals in the healthcare field.

For the purpose of reducing orientation costs, METI has teamed up with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to develop the METI Nurse Residency Program Learning Module to revolutionize the length of orientation time and the quality of patient care for new nurses.

In Andalucía, Spain, applicants for physician jobs in the Andalusian public health care system are given practical exams utilizing the METI HPS. The METI HPS provides for an objective and standardized means of assessing skills.

Yes, METI model driven patient simulators are the most widely used patient simulator in the Philippines, with the ECS gaining wide acceptance among nursing schools. METI’s model driven patient simulators have convinced Philippine educational institutions as the way forward when implementing a clinical simulations program. Not only have Philippine educational institutions embraced METI patient simulators when implementing a clinical simulations program but most have also adopted METI’s Program for Nursing Curriculum Integration™ (PNCI™) making the PNCI the most popular simulations “curriculum” for nursing education in the Philippines.

To see the institutions currently using METI Simulators please visit our GALLERY section.