Newswise — CHICAGO & MONTREAL – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and CAE Healthcare today announced the launch of the latest release in their first of its kind, interactive, screen-based simulation training product line Anesthesia SimSTAT. The new course, Anesthesia SimSTAT – Appendectomy, is designed to provide physician anesthesiologists with advanced training to manage challenging anesthetic emergencies in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries for acute appendicitis.    

“Simulation training is a validated method for health care professionals to expand their knowledge and refine their skills, while experiencing firsthand the results of their actions,” said Ronald Levy, M.D., member of ASA’s Editorial Board for Interactive Computer-Based Education. “The Anesthesia SimSTAT technology is the future of continuing medical education for anesthesia providers in that it enables the user to improve and test their knowledge in a dynamic virtual online environment, on-demand, right from their computer or laptop.”

With Anesthesia SimSTAT – Appendectomy, learners navigate in a 3-D, fully functioning virtual operating room and participate in a series of high-fidelity simulation scenarios with a realistic patient who responds appropriately to clinical interactions. Anesthesia SimSTAT monitors and records the learner’s performance during the training and offers feedback after completion of a session. By participating in the course, physician anesthesiologists can fulfill continuing medical education (CME) and MOCA 2.0® Part II and IV requirements anytime, anywhere.

“Anesthesia SimSTAT – Appendectomy is the second of five courses that we’ll be introducing within the next two years,” said Dr. Levy. “With appendectomy, we wanted to create a scenario centered on a common emergency surgery. We have also taken the opportunity to make several key enhancements to the platform to make the environment and learners’ experience even more dynamic.”

Based on feedback gathered from more than 1,000 users of the first Anesthesia SimSTAT module, ASA and CAE Healthcare have integrated comprehensive performance tracking, eLearning and assessment tools that will result in more effective learning for practicing physicians and residents.

Anesthesia SimSTAT – Appendectomy’s enhanced features include:

  • An interactive orientation tutorial to help users learn how to navigate the environment.
  • More robust tracking of users’ actions and simplified, formative performance feedback.
  • Increased eLearning capabilities including a pre-course survey and post-course evaluation, as well as post-course videos that allow the learner to go back and review completed simulated tasks.
  • The option to pause the simulation if needed to allow for discussions between learners and facilitators as the virtual simulation progresses.

“This new approach to MOCA using simulation will transform the way clinicians practice advanced techniques and updated protocols,” said Dr. Robert Amyot, president of CAE Healthcare. “With its captured data that objectively measures individual performance and provides instant, tailored feedback for improvement, Anesthesia SimSTAT represents the future of continuing medical education and certification: an engaging environment that will contribute to improve quality of care.”

Since the launch of the first course, Anesthesia SimSTAT – Trauma, last year, user response for the technology has been positive, with 88 percent of learners reporting they were “satisfied with the course’s overall value in helping to improve their professional effectiveness” and 87 percent would “recommend the course to other colleagues.” Additionally, the course received a score of 92 percent regarding user satisfaction with the usefulness of the information presented within the course.

To learn more or to view a short video demo of SimSTAT – Appendectomy, visit asahq.org/appendectomy.

Anesthesia SimSTAT – Robotic Surgery, the third course in the product suite, is scheduled to be released in late spring of 2018.   

 

About American Society of Anesthesiologists

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves. For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter.

About CAE Healthcare

CAE Healthcare offers cutting-edge learning tools to healthcare students and professionals, allowing them to develop practical experience through risk-free simulation training before treating real patients. CAE Healthcare's full spectrum of simulation solutions includes surgical and imaging simulation, curriculum, the LearningSpace audiovisual and center management platform and highly realistic adult, pediatric and baby patient simulators. Today, approximately 12,500 CAE Healthcare simulators and audiovisual solutions are in use worldwide by medical schools, nursing schools, hospitals, defense forces and other entities. www.cae.com/healthcare

About CAE

CAE (NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE) is a global leader in the delivery of training for the civil aviation, defense and security, and healthcare markets. We design and integrate the industry's most comprehensive training solutions, anchored by the knowledge and expertise of more than 8,500 employees, our world-leading simulation technologies and a track record of service and technology innovation spanning seven decades. Our global presence is the broadest in the industry, with 160 sites and training locations in 35 countries, including our joint venture operations, and the world's largest installed base of flight simulators. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defense crewmembers, as well as thousands of healthcare professionals.

 

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