Computer and Web Based Simulators

There has been tremendous growth in the field of screen-based simulation over the past 20 years, corresponding with advances in computer technology and a need for fresh approaches to the growing problem of how to best develop and maintain a skilled health-care workforce amid budgetary constraints, duty-hour restrictions, and ongoing scrutiny of the safety and reliability of patient-care practices. While screen-based simulators are designed to recreate only limited aspects of the physical environment, published studies indicate that those meeting contemporary technical standards achieve a level of fidelity sufficient to impart procedural knowledge better than traditional textbook or paper-based methods and possibly as well as mannequin simulation. Moreover, the unparalleled reliability and throughput capacity of screen-based simulators make them highly promising tools for assessing and tracking cognitive performance for research or administrative purposes. The recent emergence of web-enabled simulators will make screen-based simulations easier for learners to access, easier for institutions to install, and easier to revise through downloadable updates. The Internet also opens up a host of potential new directions for screen-based simulation, including a capacity to support multiple participants who manage a simulated scenario as a team, in a real-time, networked environment. Going forward, screen-based simulation stands to play a major role in research designed to identify performance deficiencies that can be translated into opportunities for targeted curricular and care process improvement.