Enhancing Skills in Wrist Artery Cannulation Through Simulation
Intravenous cannulation is the most commonly performed invasive procedure around the world, used for administering medications and various other fluids and products, as well as the safe removal of blood for analysis. And like any invasive procedure, it comes with significant risks to the patient, in some ways even more so because of how often cannulation is performed, especially on wrist arteries.
Why use simulation tools in medical training?
Simulation tools for common procedures like cannulation are a crucial part of training for future and current healthcare professionals. The classroom is an excellent place to learn theory but doesn’t always translate as well to that clinical, real-world experience. And clinical practice and shadowing is an excellent way to get that experience, but the environment can be highly stressful and potentially harmful to actual patients should unprepared trainees make mistakes. Simulation offers not only a bridge between these two types of learning environments, but also a way for experienced healthcare professionals to brush up on their skills and safely teach students these necessary procedures.
The Advantages of Simulation Tools
A Safer Environment for Learning
The major advantage of using simulation tools for performing common procedures like cannulation is that they provide an environment that allows students to gain hands-on experience without having anxiety about potential mistakes. Simulation offers a safe and controlled environment where each trainee can learn at their own pace, develop their confidence, and improve their abilities, without the risk of harm to themselves or actual patients.
Hands-On Experience with Simulated Consequences
The most important learning tool is repetition, and simulation tools offer that capacity for repetition. They can be used multiple times, allowing trainees to improve their skills, reduce the errors that they make, and improve their confidence in what they know–all without the risk of patient harm. Simulation training has been proven to be an excellent tool time and time again for developing crucial clinical skills–especially common ones like cannulation on wrist arteries–reducing error rates in actual clinical scenarios, and fostering improved decision making under pressure.
Find Tools that Transform Medical Education at 3-D Med
3-D Med is a division of 3-D Technical Services, dedicated to providing tools for quality educational experiences in the medical field through innovative simulation technologies. You can view our full list of products and services, as well as contact us over on our website.