Patient simulator unveiled

The Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre (SKMC) yesterday unveiled a patient simulator - the first of its kind in the Middle East - to train doctors.

Called SimMan, the life-size simulator will be used to train doctors without risking a patient, said Dr Adel Al Shamery, Consultant and Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Zayed Military Hospital and SKMC.

The sophisticated patient simulator, which is used by very few international institutes, was purchased and introduced by the centre under the initiatives of Dr Al Shamery, who came across to it during his studies in Canada.

"Though sophisticated, it is the safest and incorporates simple technology," the young UAE national doctor said.

The computerised simulator was designed and manufactured by a U.S. firm to train doctors on diagnoses, administering anaesthesia, checking blood pressure and doing an ECG.

It can be converted into a male or female. "The good thing about the product is that a doctor can even feel the pulse and the 'patient' can be monitored with standard equipment, such as an ECG machine," he explained.

Dr Al Shamery added that the SimMan can also be used for multi-team training in camera like a real life situation.

"In camera training will help doctors examine training sessions and look into mistakes or ways to improve skills. The system can also be used to provide distance training," he said.

The simulator is made of special material to make it flexible like the human body and it has all the organs and systems to administer drips, injections as well as oxygen.

It is also designed to perform human functions such as breathing and moving its tongue. The simulator can also be used in tele-medicine programmes.

For ECG purposes, it has 2,000 different rhythm combinations. "It is a universal patient simulation, with virtual reality but no risk," he added.

Dr Al Shamery said the simulator can also be moved to different hospitals and medical institutes for training.

At the medical centre, six computerised stations will be set up for training under a pilot training programme. One of the stations will have the simulator.

Dr John Morse, Director Medical Affairs at SKMC, explained: "This product is unique in the entire Middle East region and very few institutes in the world have it. Another good thing about it is its durability. The simulator can be upgraded by replacing parts as new developments take place in the medical field."

He added that another good point is that if things go wrong during training sessions, instructors and trainees can always go back to see mistakes and avoid blaming each other.

Dr Morse said it will be put into action very shortly as equipment has been put in place. The simulator, however, cannot be used for open surgery.