Taking human error out of healthcare
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
A report by the Institute of Medicine says medical errors caused injuries to around 3% of hospital patients per year in the United States.
The study adds: “Human errors resulted in a minimum of 44,000, and perhaps, as many as 98,000 deaths per year in the US.”
The annual cost attributable to all adverse drug events and preventable adverse drug events for a 700-bed American teaching hospital was estimated by a study at $5.6 million and $2.8 million, respectively.
Alarming, isn’t it?
Thus came the need to revise the medical curriculum, resulting in the introduction of simulation-based medical teaching and learning.
Simulation is a generic term that refers to an artificial representation of a real-world process to achieve educational goals through experiential learning.
Thankfully, at the forefront of this change is medical schools in the Middle East.
Amongst them, a shining example is the Crown Prince Medical Training and Research Centre - a world-class facility in the field of specialised medical training and education in Bahrain and the region as a whole.
The research centre has enabled Bahrain Royal Medical Services to be a pioneer in simulation-based medical education.
Major General Professor Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, the Commander of the Royal Medical Services, said the centre had played a major role in continuing medical education, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The facility, which falls under the Royal Medical Services, considers manpower as the real asset and backbone of the hospital system in the Kingdom.
When asked about the contribution of centre in fighting the pandemic, Shaikh Khalid said the centre was instrumental in training doctors, nurses, health workers, and military personnel on protective clothing and managing critical situations that may arise during the pandemic.
He said the centre trained over 3,200 health care workers on the use of ventilators during the pandemic.
Among the public facilities located at the Crown, Prince Centre is a Convention Centre capable of conducting medical and non-medical conferences for over 500 participants.
“The facility has become the main hub for all national authorities to combat the pandemic and conducting press conferences on the Coronavirus pandemic.”
On the training facilities, Colonel Doctor Nayef Abdul Rahman Lowry, the Head of the Continuing Medical Education and Training Programme at the Royal Medical Services, said the centre uses various kinds of dummies for simulation and training of medical personnel.
Learning objectives are achieved by simulating real cases scenarios and using animal and cadaveric labs, “which will potentially reduce medical errors and improve the quality of healthcare.”
Simulation training aims at providing a crucial phase for medical trainees before commencing the hospital training phase. “It also addresses competency gaps in the performance of those who are currently medical staff.”
The centre houses an elaborate simulation room with simulators, Laparoscopic, endoscopic and arthroscopic computer-based simulators with virtual reality, 3D and haptic feedback capabilities.
The centre also has a dedicated room for training Bahrain Defence Force.
At this room, military personnel from all specialities and ranks learn the relevant principles of military field medicine including care under fire, tactical combat casualty care and tactical medical evacuation care.
The centre also has many academic partnerships with local and international establishments like the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and the Omani Authority for Health Specialties.
It also has partnerships with advanced training centres in Ireland, Scotland and America
In addition to providing the practical and training side, the centre houses a medical library that serves as an information base and a research centre on the Corona pandemic.
The centre offers courses and programmes in post-graduation, simulation courses and continuing medical education.
Simulation courses are in the Nursing Orientation Programme, Emergency Basics, ICU Basics, ICU Comprehensive Orientation, Basic Surgical Skills, and Advanced Surgical Skills.
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