The use of simulators in intensive care training

Abstract The anaesthetic simulator is an exciting innovation in medical education and its application in the field of critical care medicine is currently being developed. The aim of this paper is to examine the current available evidence supporting the simulator's role in the area of intensive care training. The critical care environment is a challenging one, given the complexity of the patients and equipment coupled with the need for a logical, structured approach necessary for safe and competent practice. It can be a very stressful, time-pressured environment, requiring its staff to possess the ability to work under pressure and as a team, with the common goal of ensuring the best possible patient outcome. The breadth of knowledge required in intensive care medicine is wide, incorporating skills and techniques from many disciplines. It can be argued that more than with any other speciality, a multidisciplinary approach is essential in the management of such acutely ill patients. It can also be argued that this is exactly the approach encouraged by training via the anaesthetic simulator. With escalating pressures on intensive care beds and associated staff shortages, increasing numbers of acutely ill patients are being cared for outside the critical care environment. This care is primarily provided by non-ITU staff, who may feel inadequately equipped to cope with the management of such critically ill patients. The benefits of training healthcare professionals in the recognition and management of critical events are clear and the use of the anaesthetic simulator may prove to be the way forward.