Advocating for Your Patients and Families: Simulation as an Educational Tool for Home Caregivers of Children with Chronic Conditions.

Abstract

Simulation-based education for home caregivers of children with chronic conditions provides hands-on training set in a safe, confidential, supportive learning environment that is founded on the principles of patient-and family-centered care. This type of education and approach has been favored over traditional educational methods and may also improve caregivers' comfort, confidence, knowledge, skills, and ability to manage their child's routine and emergent care at home. Pediatricians play a vital role in this type of education as an advocate for their patients and families and as key stakeholders and collaborators in the process. Open collaboration and information sharing among home caregivers, simulation experts, pediatricians, and the rest of the medical team can lead to the development and implementation of successful simulation curricula. This in turn has the potential to lead to improved patient safety, quality of care, and patient outcomes. [Pediatr Ann. 2021;50(1):e39-e43.].