Dr Tulp attends the soft machine: patient simulators, user involvement and intellectual disability

Authors:
McCLIMENS Alex, LEWIS Robin, BREWSTER Jacqui
Journal article citation:
Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 16(3), September 2012, pp.173-182.
Publisher:
Sage
Place of publication:
London

Simulation may be seen as an effective educational strategy to address the growing moral and ethical issues around ‘practising’ on human patients. Patient simulators are very useful when the student learner needs to practise invasive techniques on an unconscious patient. Simulation works much less well where the technology is unable to replicate the ‘bio-fidelity’ associated with real life situations. For example, the utility of simulation models rapidly diminishes when the patient is conscious and has communication difficulties, and when the clinical interventions are more ‘social’ in nature. The article argues that patient simulation is of limited use for some patient populations such as people with intellectual disability and with a wide range of impairment, communication and mobility issues. Students must be able to see beyond the equipment and connect their learning to actual human beings.

Subject terms:
learning disabilities, nurses, teaching methods, training;
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN online:
1744-6309
ISSN print:
1744-6295

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