Making the Best Use of Simulation Training in Critical Care Medicine

Abstract

Oscar Wilde once quipped that “experience is the one thing you can’t get for nothing”. While this may once have been true, simulation‐based education in critical care aims to achieve just that, by exposing participants to complex situations in a realistic but safe environment, in which their performance becomes a powerful vehicle for learning, through non‐judgmental debriefing and participant reflection. The aim is to decrease adverse events for patients and at the same time improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare professional training.In this chapter, we outline the history of simulation‐based education in critical care before considering the theoretical underpinnings, advantages, and limitations of the various forms of simulation. The influence of stress on learning and performance will be discussed and the chapter will conclude by outlining core principles for best‐practice use of simulation‐based education within critical care.