Sharing the Latest in Simulation Standards and Technology

OSF HealthCare was well-represented at this year’s annual International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH). More than 20 members of Jump Simulation, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP) were chosen to make presentations to hundreds of leaders in medical education.

The annual conference is the largest gathering of simulation health care professionals in the world. It’s an event where more than 2500 hundred attendees can learn best practices from each other, find areas for collaboration and hear about the latest industry specific products.

There are well over 100 workshops and presentations over the course of three days. About fifteen of those presentations came from Jump Sim, Saint Francis and UICOMP personnel. Jump Sim staff shared methods of running a large-scale sim center, how simulation curricula is prioritized and the facility’s return on investment model. Members of the UICOMP team held workshops on low-cost techniques to run simulations and how to implement curriculum addressing biases in health care.

The annual conference also included an exhibit hall where companies shared the latest technology, devices and software in medical education and training. Among the businesses showing off their latest technology was SIMnext, an OSF HealthCare partner. The company, located within Jump Simulation & Education Center, launched three innovative medical education solutions at IMSH including the von Hagens Plastination – Real Anatomy for Teaching line of anatomical specimens, SIMnext Academy and its Custom Services. Graham Whiteside is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for SIMnext.

“The reception from customers so far has been that they value the fact that we are authentically from and of health care. This is the SIMnext advantage. We haven’t just invented something cool. We are inventing something that has practical use, has data around its need and has data around its value to you as a health care system and education system.”

SIMnext recently announced an agreement with Gubener Plastinate GmbH to become the exclusive North American distributor of the von Hagens Plastination line. Intended for use in anatomy education, these products provide medical, nursing and dental students with human anatomy specimens of exquisite detail. The use of the von Hagens plastinates reduces the use of human cadavers, and thereby the cost for anatomy education without sacrificing the fidelity of the student experience.

SIMnext also recently launched SIMnext Academy and its ability to provide custom services. SIMnext Academy delivers high-quality, simulation-based clinical education and training to its users through online courses and downloadable mobile content. 3D and haptic (touch) technologies provide learners with realistic virtual experiences that enhance understanding and produce muscle memory. SIMnext Custom Services offers its team of experienced engineers to help turn novel health care technology, software or product ideas into finished products, with services ranging from software development to product engineering and manufacturing.