Programmable Patient Simulators as an Educational Technique in Physical Therapy

Abstract

In a session on cardiorespiratory education at the 2007 World Confederation of Physical Therapy meeting in Vancouver, Canada the speakers noted a worldwide shortage of physical therapists willing to work in intensive care settings, especially in critical care units and cardiac rehabilitation programs. Simulation is a technique used in healthcare education to replicate the essential aspects of a clinical situation, so that the learner can more effectively examine, assess and manage a similar event when it occurs in clinical practice.3,4 While the use of patient simulators in the forms of role players and standardized patients has been a long-standing practice in physical therapy education, the use of programmable patient simulators is relatively new. The purpose of this article is to describe the programmable patient simulator technology available currently and to discuss the frequency and manner in which programmable patient simulation is used as an educational technique for training clinicians and student physical therapists.