Patient safety

New medical simulation centre opens in Ottawa

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and the University of Ottawa have officially opened the University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre (uOSSC), the largest centre of its kind in Canada.

Just as the aviation industry uses flight simulators to train pilots, healthcare professionals use patient simulators for hands-on training and experience.

Simulation includes a wide range of education and research tools, including plastic models that imitate body parts with anatomical correctness and full body mannequin simulators that breathe, have pulse and heart sounds, talk, and most importantly, respond accurately to medications, fluids and chest compressions.

These computer-driven mannequins can recreate patient care in hospital wards, the emergency department, intensive care unit, and operating rooms.

Industry supporters of the new centre include: CAE Healthcare, Covidien, Johnson and Johnson, Stortz, Olympus, Laerdal, Limbs and Things, and HDR Architects.

“In Canada, patient simulation has been identified as a valuable method of improving patient safety. It enables opportunities to rehearse procedures and emergency management in a patient and learner-safe environment,” said Dr. Jack Kitts (pictured), President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital. “The uOSSC will provide the best hands-on education with no risk to patients for improved patient safety and continued world-class care.”

The Ottawa Hospital delivers world-class care to its patients every day in affiliation with the University of Ottawa. Together, they work collaboratively to ensure a high standard of patient safety by training health-care providers such as physicians and nurses through education and research.

“The uOSSC is a world-class facility that enables both The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa to be international leaders in simulation education and research – and ultimately, patient care”, said Allan Rock, President of the University of Ottawa. “This is an exciting initiative that brings uOttawa and TOH together as equal partners for the first time.”

“The uOSSC is one of the largest and most modern centres in the world, enabling the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine to lead innovation in medical education”, said Dr. Jacques Bradwejn, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. “The cutting edge technology provides the means for students to further acquire practice and refine skills, in anticipation of meeting a patient, through real-life scenarios which yield critical feedback.”

For additional information, see: http://uossc.ca/

Posted October 21, 2010