Medical Simulation

Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle stated, “The best way of successfully acting a part is to be it.” Although this quote can relate to all aspects of life, it can be specifically correlated to attaining a profession, especially within the medical industry. In order for a medical professional to successfully master their profession or “be the part” as Doyle stated, they must first gain the necessary experience, and therefore need the appropriate tools and technology to do so. Furthermore, for healthcare positions such as a nurse, doctor, surgeon, or even a military medic, there is a specific need for hands on learning or being able to “act the part”. Yet, seeing that few would be willing to allow a healthcare student to inflict injury or unnecessary

Rosen M.D. recognized that simulation has been around for centuries. Rosen delineates that the game chess, invented in the sixth century, could indicate an early form of military simulation in that chess can be used for the practice of skills, problem solving, and judgement. Yet, the authors Sea Schatz, Denise Nicholson, and Rhiannon (2012) discuss the idea that simulation may regress farther back than what Rosen believed. Schatz et al. explained as far back as 2500 BC, Ancient Egyptians used small figurines and a map, the type of simulation used, to depict warring factions within their territories (Schatz et al., 2012). Yet, simulation has not been used only for military strategies.
In the scholarly report “Simulation in Medical Education” (2009) author Dr. Animesh Jain, MD, DFH reports the use of simulation can be dated back to the 9th century when Madame du Coudray built an “anatomically correct, life-sized mannequin [with a] birthing pelvis”, made of wire, straw and fabric, used to train the midwives of France. Although Coudray’s brilliant teaching tool was years ahead of her time, it was not until the early 20th century that simulation technology would be “modernized” and put to use in healthcare

Martha Jenks Chase, a woman known for her skills in creating realistic dolls for children, to make a more realistic teaching tool for her nursing students. Therein, the first simulation mannequin that was specifically made to teach healthcare workers, known as “The Chase Hospital Doll”, was born (Herrmann, 2008). Although, the first Chase Hospital Doll was purely made to be a basic physiological model for nursing education, in 1914 a new and improved Chase Hospital Doll had arrived. “It was the first model to have an arm injection site and an internal reservoir that permitted urethral, vaginal and rectal treatments” (Herrmann, 2008). The Chase Hospital Doll was recreated and improved throughout the years, yet by the early 1960s another life-size simulation mannequin was on the market. According to the article “A Brief History of the Development of Mannequin Simulators for Clinical Education and Training” (2004), by J. B. Cooper and V. R. Taqueti, Asmund Laerdal, a successful Norwegian plastic toy manufacturer created a simulation mannequin with the capability of teaching healthcare students and workers mouth to mouth resuscitation, and was named Resusci Anne. The mannequin’s design allowed for hyperextension of the neck and forward thrust of the chin to open the airway for mouth to mouth ventilation (Cooper & Taqueti, 2004).