Manipal University establishes hi-end Medical Simulation Centre

Divvy Kant Upadhyay, Manipal

Manipal, Jun 22: On Monday, Manipal University became India’s first University to have a Medical Simulation Centre. Its recent acquisition of a variety of manikins (anatomical models of the human body, used in teaching art or medicine) to establish the Medical Simulation Centre has created quite a buzz.

Simulation technology which has made its name in areas like aviation, war strategy, architecture or even gaming made its mark in medical education more than a decade ago. What started as tools for skills labs are today full size computer programmed ‘dummy’ patients that can mimic emergency medical situations and diseased conditions.

Simulation in medical education and research in USA has led to medical professional’s credentialing and patient safety issues becoming a norm. Its introduction in India certainly holds a promising and exciting learning experience for young medical professionals.

One wonders if this would replace the traditional clinical training imparted to undergraduate MBBS students. While it may provide food for thought, but the medical fraternity is fully aware that simulation can only complement, not substitute patient based clinical training. Medical training for doctors in clinical subjects involves sharpening observation skills and the use of common sense. These two components make it easy to pick up the relevant history, signs and symptoms that a patient presents with.

In medical simulation, using softwares, the dummies are pre-programmed to present with typical complaints. Take for example the case of a heart attack or myocardial infarction; the dummy-patient is programmed to complaint about breathlessness, sharp stabbing pain in the centre of the chest, pain radiating to the back, restless condition where he becomes unresponsive and finally loses consciousness – all this while the monitor next to him shows the gradually falling ‘vitals’ like Blood pressure or pulse rate. Or take the example of Pneumonia, where the dummy enacts expected cough and breathing abnormalities.

These simulations focus on training medical students and health professionals about what to expect and more importantly, how to react. Procedures like administering injections, inserting IV cannulas, emergency cardiac resuscitations or delivering babies can be practiced repeatedly until one ‘gets a hang of it’. It is so well programmed that incase of doing a CPR- an emergency cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, the manikins indicate if the medico is applying the required amount of pressure on the chest.

Technology leads to amazing innovations and this one seems to be a great teaching aid. Can it tackle the problem of medical errors? According to Manipal University Dr Raj Warrier, the chief mentor of the simulation centre at Manipal, in USA more people die out of medical errors than diseases like hypertension. He hopes medical students use this opportunity to improve communication skills and adapt themselves to a “teamwork-atmosphere”.

Professor of Anesthesiology at KMC Manipal, Dr V Ramkumar who will be in charge of the centre has undergone special training in the field. The state-of-the-art centre was inaugurated by State Minister for Medical Education Mr Ramachandra Gowda and Director of Medical Education, Dr A R Aruna. Minister Gowda appreciated the pioneering efforts of the Manipal University. He asked medicos to work with sincerity and honesty. He also cautioned students against developing a laxed attitude since these were lifeless dummies on which they would practice important procedures. He asked them to take life and their profession with the seriousness it deserves.

Addressing Presspersons, Vice Chancellor of Manipal University (MU), Dr Raj P Warrier said that MU has introduced medical simulation training with an aim to tap educational advantages as an adjunct to traditional teaching with patients. “With simulation, there is no risk to patients, realistic clinical scenarios can be reproduced reliably for different trainees, and rare but serious types of medical crises can be duplicated for instruction in crisis management, allowing participants to hone their teamwork, leadership, and communication skills” said Dr Warrier.

Speaking about the target audience, Dr Warrier said, “it will include students and qualified professionals in the medical, dental, nursing and allied health professions.  Programmes will later be extended to cover college students, police, fire fighting personnel and home guards.  When fully operational, the centre will be capable of providing multidisciplinary training opportunities to over 7,000 health care professionals annually through hands-on practice in simulated medical environments.”

Sounding a word of caution, he added that “Medical Simulation is not to substitute the traditional patient-based clinical training; it is only meant to compliment it”