DiaMedical Journal

Specialties like Maternal Health have become increasingly vulnerable in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic and its effect on nursing education/clinical practice availability. Simulation training is crucial in today’s healthcare education climate as it affords students the opportunity to practice skills without risk to patients. In this week’s Tuesday Teachings video we explore a simulation scenario featuring students tasked to care for a laboring mother who experiences a prolapsed umbilical cord. This simulation utilizes the SimVS Fetal Monitor from the SimVS Hospital OB Virtual Diagnostic Platform as well as the SimVS Nurse Call System. The SimVS Fetal Monitor is an essential tool for OB training as it allows instructors to adjust fetal heart rate and uterine contractions in response to student interventions. Exclusive features like pre-programmed scenarios and a price point that’s a fraction of the cost of high-fidelity birthing manikins makes the SimVS Fetal Monitor a favorite among educators everywhere. Watch the full video below to see this product in use!

National Nurses Week is celebrated May 6th-12th and is a time to acknowledge the dedication and effort put forth by those in the nursing profession. Supported by the American Nurses Association (ANA), the nursing profession is an essential component of the healthcare system and here at DiaMedical our mission is to improve the quality of healthcare by providing educators the tools they need to help shape the future generation of healthcare professionals. As we use this week to recognize the unwavering commitment made by nurses all over and their dedication to making positive impacts to the healthcare field, we want to honor our very own on-staff Nurse Educator Sally O’Meara, MSN, RN. With over 30 years of experience as a registered nurse and 15 years of teaching experience, Sally brings expertise and passion to healthcare education and provides both students and instructors with all the tools to run innovative and cost-effective healthcare simulations! Continue reading below to learn more and enjoy our latest video featuring a sit down with Sally discussing her journey through nursing practice and career at DiaMedical!

Manikins and simulators are a great way to enhance healthcare education, as they bring a new level of realism to traditional classroom settings. When utilized in simulation scenarios, students are able to get more in-depth practice on various skills and procedures, creating an opportunity to master skills validations and gain the confidence to perform in a real-life situation. DiaMedical is a provider of hundreds of manikins, simulators and skills trainers from several manufacturers for a wide range of curriculum and program needs. From pre-hospital and emergency scenarios to specialized care like obstetrics and pediatrics, DiaMedical has you covered. We also offer a wide variety of high and low-fidelity manikins so instructors have all the tools needed to teach students any skill, no matter how advanced. These high-fidelity simulations made possible by some of our medical manikin options provide a key advantage by allowing students an opportunity to immerse themselves in a clinical setting that looks and feels life-like (1). This level of realism supplied by full-body manikins that mimic human physiology is highly beneficial when it comes to preparing future health professionals for real-life scenarios in their practice.

Though pediatric simulation scenarios in healthcare education aren’t practiced as heavily as other simulation scenarios, data shows when being treated for life-threatening events, infants and children have higher mortality and morbidity rates (2). This can in part be traced back to the weaknesses that have existed within pediatric emergency care for quite some time. Pediatric care is not simply a scaled down approach to adult care, as it’s specialized and requires a different skill set and expertise. Specific training that teaches physicians to recognize the physiologic and emotional differences in care between infants/children and adults is vital in order to effectively meet the healthcare needs of pediatric patients (1).

Medical error has climbed to be among the leading causes of death, with a large portion attributed to various medication errors in nursing like improper dosage or wrong infusion rate. In response to the alarming statistics on preventable harm, the week of April 1st-7th is recognized as Medication Safety week. In efforts to draw awareness to the importance of patient safety with medication administration, it’s crucial that both consumers and healthcare professionals are educated in medication management, storage and usage. This week aims to reduce medication error through means of education and training, as well as encourage understanding of pharmaceutical interactions with other drugs, supplements and foods. At DiaMedical, we are proud to be the exclusive provider of the SimServeRx™, a medication management system that educates students on the importance of the 5 rights of medication administration.

In this week’s Tuesday Teachings episode, we explore a pediatric resuscitation simulation featuring the Loaded 9 Drawer Pediatric Crash Cart by SimLabSolutions. Pediatric mock codes are a great way to improve competence and teamwork in a safe, controlled environment as pediatric code situations warrant higher risk of medication error due to dosage miscalculations. Fortunately, the Loaded 9 Drawer Pediatric Crash Cart contains all of the simulated medications and supplies needed to effectively practice these simulation scenarios. Designed specifically for peds resuscitation training, this cart features color coded drawers organized according to the Broselow system which is the standard for emergency pediatric care.

Obesity has become increasingly prevalent in recent years among Americans and has been at the forefront of conversation in the health sphere due to these rising rates. In 2020, the prevalence of obesity in U.S. adults was estimated to be 42.4%, with worldwide rates having tripled from 1975 (4). With the severity of this disease, it’s more crucial than ever to raise awareness and education, as well as place an importance on training future healthcare professionals on how to care for bariatric patients. Organized by the World Obesity Federation, March 4th is recognized annually as World Obesity Day to shed light on the global obesity crisis. Their goal is to end prejudice and bias against obese individuals while simultaneously highlighting the various factors that contribute to high obesity rates. Continue reading to learn more about obesity factors and the training methods instructors can implement to break down the barriers for caring for bariatric patients.

In this week’s Tuesday Teachings episode, we explore a simulation scenario featuring the SimVS Nurse Call System. This system is designed to promote patient prioritization, delegation, and critical thinking among students. Easily installed on any headwall or patient care area, the SimVS Nurse Call System is a key component to healthcare education training and enhancing the skills vital to fast-paced healthcare environments.

Two of the most complex skills for nurses to master are prioritization and delegation. They must decide what needs to be done first and who is best suited for the task. There may be some instances when nurses have the time to make these choices thoughtfully, but quick decision making is usually what’s needed in today’s fast-paced healthcare environment. Medical simulation training is the best way for students to learn how to prioritize and delegate patient care tasks as it allows them to make these difficult decisions independently with no risk to patients. Continue reading to learn more about how educators can integrate these types of nursing simulation scenarios into their curricula.

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American Heart Month is dedicated to supporting those with cardiovascular conditions, promoting healthy lifestyles, creating access to affordable care and advancing research in cardiac care. With heart disease being the leading cause of death in the U.S. and over 120 million Americans living with a cardiovascular condition, the need for proper training in Basic Life Support (BLS) as well as Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) has never been greater. Continue reading to learn more about teaching strategies that can enhance student performance and knowledge retention in BLS and ACLS training courses.

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The first week of February is recognized as Women’s Heart Week. It provides a great opportunity to shed light on the differences in symptom presentation for heart disease between men and women while evaluating one’s cardiovascular health, and to acknowledge the gender disparities that exist in cardiac care. Continue reading to find out more about heart disease in women and how to raise awareness and education surrounding these gender disparities in cardiac care.

In today’s Tuesday Teachings episode we are highlighting EMS Loaded Jump Bags™ by SimLabSolutions. Composed of all the supplies and simulated medication needed to practice life-saving procedures for both children and adults, the Loaded Jump Bags are an essential EMS training tool. Watch the full video below!

Each new year brings the promise of new purposes, hopes, opportunities, and goals. While many New Year’s resolutions focus on losing weight or exercising regularly, they can also include implementing new teaching strategies with your students. For healthcare training programs, this could include mock code simulations with Loaded Crash Carts from SimLabSolutions to improve recognition of cardiac arrest and adherence to AHA guidelines. Continue reading below to learn about the benefits of implementing these mock codes into your curriculum.

Simulations and hands-on exercises are designed to promote students’ ability to apply the skills they’ve learned in a realistic way. However, when it comes to simulation scenarios, the presence of an instructor can oftentimes affect the student’s critical thinking and decision-making ability, whether they realize it or not. SimScreen® is an innovative solution to this obstacle, allowing students to function independently throughout the simulation while being observed discreetly by their instructor via a two-way mirror. Students are able to focus on their assessments and implement care based on their findings without the subconscious effect of the observer, just as they would in a real-life clinical setting.

A common challenge instructors face is delivering quality, hands-on exercises for students. By enabling students to demonstrate what they learned in a realistic way, practical experience is vital to applying the skills acquired in the classroom. Simulating these life-like situations has proven to be helpful to students not only as a way to perform skills more in-depth, but to instill confidence for when a real-life situation happens. SimRescue helps bridge the gap of realistic practice for vehicle extrication training by delivering a safe and effective solution. In this blog we will explore the SimRescue product features and the benefits of implementing it into training programs.

In today’s Tuesday Teachings video, we discuss the essential products you need for creating your own simulation lab for optimal healthcare education training. Simulation labs provide students the ability to master key clinical skills without any risk to patients, while bridging the gap between skills trainers, theory coursework and clinical rotations. With an abundance of supplies and equipment to choose from, starting a simulation lab from scratch can be overwhelming. In this video we provide our top picks to help educators improve the quality of healthcare.