SIMULATION-BASED RESEARCH
Improving safety, efficiency and effectiveness of patient care through simulation.
The Center for Advanced Pediatric and Perinatal Education (CAPE) is the world’s first simulation-based training and research center dedicated to the fetal, neonatal, pediatric, and obstetric sciences. We draw inspiration from our work with colleagues at NASA and the FAA on improving human performance.
CAPE serves as a laboratory for simulation-based research that addresses clinically relevant questions that are difficult or impossible to study in the actual patient care environment. By creating highly standardized, simulated clinical environments, investigators minimize the number of confounding variables in order to isolate and study specific aspects of the sociotechnical systems that function in healthcare. The ultimate goal of our work is to improve the safety, efficiency and effectiveness of patient care.
Key areas of research
Improving neonatal resuscitation and stabilization. We are applying human factors science, design thinking, and systems engineering to improve three specific aspects of neonatal resuscitation: (1) the design of the physical workspace, (2) decision making during this invasive procedure, and (3) human-technology interaction.
Defining expert neonatal intubation technique. We aim to define the parameters of expert intubation technique via multi-angle video, measurement of force and torque, motion tracking, and visual fixation. The goal is to accelerate skill acquisition, enhance skill maintenance, and improve safety during neonatal resuscitation.
Improving debriefing assessment. This project validated the use of the Debriefing Assessment in Real Time (DART) tool, a quantitative measure of debriefing developed at CAPE.
Standardizing communication during resuscitation. This investigation evaluated the impact of a standardized resuscitation lexicon on team adherence to the NRP algorithm during simulated neonatal resuscitation scenarios.
Usability Testing
CAPE offers usability testing services to the medical device community to facilitate human factors testing in a realistic simulated healthcare environment. The team at CAPE has worked with several companies (including Dräger, Monivent, and Laerdal Medical) to assess the utility and safety of their devices prior to large-scale implementation within the operational clinical environment.
Recent Publications
Utilizing Recorded Resuscitations for Neonatal Team Process Improvement.
A novel method for administering epinephrine during neonatal resuscitation.
In situ simulation and clinical outcomes in infants born preterm.
The Debriefing Assessment in Real Time (DART) tool for simulation-based medical education.