Kaiser Permanente at Ohio has introduced a sophisticated Patient Simulation lab, which can be used by clinicians for training purposes. The lab consists of robots that are life-sized and are able to give health responses like humans.
Brenda Peralta, who leads the Nursing Education and Competency division at Kaiser, regarded the new Lab as an ideal environment where clinicians can learn lifesaving practices. They are exposed to emergency situations, which may not occur every day. Peralta noted that individuals who have undergone such training have given positive feedback on its effectiveness.
The team at Kaiser had undergone simulation training in 2008, which gave them a run through the response procedures for treating a patient with malignant hyperthermia, which is a rare but risky condition. A few weeks later, the team was able to treat and save the life of a patient suffering from the same disease with great confidence. The simulation lab is equipped with a set of six sophisticated robots that resemble humans at various stages of life from a new born to an adult. They are capable of mimicking human activities such as talking, breathing, sweating, moving, bleeding, seizing, blinking and even giving birth. The robots are highly advanced and can respond spontaneously to the treatment they are administered, they show improvement when handled in the right manner and show deterioration otherwise.
These procedures are recorded and broadcasted in a classroom. After watching the live simulation procedure, the participants watch the recording in their classrooms. Peralta considers simulation training vital for a health care set up.
Source: http://www.kaiserpermanente.org