This document provides tips and potential pitfalls for setting up a simulation center. It discusses defining the mission, vision, and functional needs such as the type of training and target groups. Key considerations include the types of rooms needed like clinical simulation rooms, control rooms, and debriefing rooms. Equipment needs from medical supplies and manikins to audiovisual systems must be carefully planned. A multidisciplinary project team should be assembled and a budget developed that acknowledges the high costs of establishing and maintaining a simulation center. Common mistakes involve inadequate storage, furniture, and faculty training programs.

1. Tips and pitfalls of setting up a
Simulation Center
Łukasz Gąsiorowski, MD, PhD
Acting Director
Medical Simulation Center
Poznań University of Medical
Sciences

2. Introduction
• ‘one-size-fits-all’?
• In-situ vs. Facility-
based simulation
• Unable to cover
everything

3. QUESTIONS
• Mission & Vision – most overlooked
component
• Rooms and spaces
• People involved in the design phase
• Equipment
• Budget

4. FORM MEETS FUNCTION

5. Defining Functional Needs:
• Training type
– University-based
– Hospital-based
– Separate Center (?private)
• Target group:
– Undergraduate training
– Postgraduate training

6. Defining Functional need
• Assessment need?
– Security issues
• Standardized Patients involved:
– OSCE floor?
– Separate halls

7. TYPES OF ROOMS

8. Rooms and spaces
• Universality: make planning flexible
– YES: high-fidelity clinical simulation room
– NO: critical care room

9. Clinical Simulation room
• Various sizes:
– Regular (medical-
surgical unit) ca 20-25
sq m
– Large (e.g. OR) ca 40-
50 sq meters
• Auxiliary Equipment

10. Control Room
• Controlling the
operations in the
clinical room
– Recommended
12-24 sq meters

11. Control Room
• One control room per
clinical room?
– One-way looking
mirrors level
– Problems: heat, noise
level, interruptions

12. Debriefing room
• Typical size: 20-35
sq meters for 10 to
15 people
• Debriefing to
clinical rooms ratio
• White-board or
smart-board
technology
• Chair setup

13. Other rooms
• Multipurpose class
room
• Supply/preparation
• storage room

14. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

15. Project Team
• Architect
• Simulation design consultant
• IT and AV designers
• Educators
• Equipment planners
• Vendors: bidding process

17. EQUIPMENT
• Considerations:
– The real need ‘must have’ vs. ‘nice to have’
• Basic furnishings, finishes and flooring
• Medical equipment: beds, IV poles,
defibrillators, exam lights, crash carts, IV
pumps

18. Manikins
• Cost-effectiveness:
– Fidelity level: it is the best but: do I really need
that one?
• Classes:
– Patient simulator: adult, newborn, child
– Labor Simulator
– ALS simulators
– BLS simulators
• Wireless capability?

19. Manikins
• Interpatient variability:
– Can I use for different training purposes?
• Seek advice Manufacturer vs. End-user

20. AV Considerations
• Costly but
underestimated or
neglected
• Broadcast,
monitoring, playback
and recording
capabilities

21. Design considerations
• Equipment mounting
pitfalls:
– microphone and vent
locations
• Camera types:
– set vs. pan and zoom
– 360 degrees

22. Design considerations
• AV software:
– Inter manufacture compatibility feature
– Recording and playback possibility: intranet
– Archiving: confidentiality notice
– Scheduling

23. Design considerations: phone

24. Budgeting
• Simulation is NOT a low-cost, low-
maintenance activity!

25. Support: Design phase
• Architectural project:
– Initial
– Final with technical details (instalations)
• Building phase
• Purchasing process:
– Simulation equipment
– Supplementary equipment

26. Support: Design phase
• Training:
– Faculty Development
– Staff/ Technician training

27. Support for operations:
• Staff
• Faculty
• Fixed costs: power, heating, water,
• Manikin maintenance
– Usable parts
– Easy breaking parts: Airways (intubation
policy?)

28. Sustainability
• Very difficult!
– High cost of equipment depreciation (manikin
life-cycle?)
– Consumables: excess or expired items from
hospitals
– Faculty remuneration
– Will they come if they have to pay?

29. Design Pearls
• Visit simulation
programs
– What are they
unhappy about?
• Goal:
– storage area 10 to
25%

30. Design Pearls
• Furniture: tables that
fold and roll with ease
• Stay away from
labeling rooms with
too much specificity

31. Common Pitfalls
• Not enough storage…
• Wide doors
• Faculty training
program
• Inadequate debriefing
space/ rooms
• Manikins in boxes

32. MEDICAL SIMULATION
CENTER
Poznan University of Medical Sciences

33. • April 2009 – Rector with visit @ Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond,
Virginia.
• May 2010 Grant obtained
• October, 2010 Simulation Center Opened

34. Works

35. Closet space

36. Control Room

37. Control Room

38. SIMULATION AND CLINICAL
SKILLS CENTER
Est. completion 2017

39. Clinical Skills Center

40. Clinical Skills Room

41. Medical floor

42. Pre-medical Floor

43. Detail

44. Apartment

45. питання?
• lgasior@ump.edu.pl
• Facebook