Simulcast

Join us for the April edition of the Simulcast Journal Club, hosted by Vic Brazil and Ben Symon, In this episode: Self-led debriefings, measuring team cognition, simulation as a basic computational mechanism in the brain, and picto-dictionaries.  The papers  Kumar P, Harrison NM, McAleer K, Khan I, Somerville SG. Exploring the role of self-led debriefings within simulation-based education: time to challenge the status quo? [https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-025-00342-6]. Adv Simul. 2025;10(9).  Evans JC, Evans MB, Lingard L. Team cognition in healthcare simulation: a framework for deliberate measurement [https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-025-00333-7]. Adv Simul. 2025;10(12).  Barsalou LW. Simulation, situated conceptualization, and prediction [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19528009/]. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009;364(1521):1281–89.  Kou M, Sanseau E, Kardong-Edgren S, von Hauff P, Ramachandra G, Walsh B, et al. Enhancing simulation-based healthcare education and research reporting using pictograms: does a picture paint a thousand words? Commentary from the International Distance Simulation Summit Pictogram Track [https://johs.org.uk/article/doi/10.54531/HPVL3645]. J Healthc Simul. 2025 Apr 14.  Another great month on Simulcast.  Happy listening

Welcome to Simulcast! In this special episode, Victoria Brazil is joined by Hege Ersdal [https://laerdalglobalhealth.com/resources/news/simulation_saves_lives_hege_ersdal/] and Benjamin Kamala, the joint first authors of a ground-breaking study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2406295]. Their program aimed to reduce birth-related mortality in Tanzania, with spectacular success. The Safer Births Bundle [https://saferbirths.com/] integrated key elements: innovative simulation training, data-driven quality improvements, advanced clinical devices, and international collaboration and local empowerment. Neonatal mortality was reduced by 40 % and maternal deaths reduced by 75%. Congratulations to all involved.  The article:  Kamala BA, Ersdal HL, Moshiro RD, Guga G, Dalen I, Kvaløy JT, Bundala FA, Makuwani A, Kapologwe NA, Mfaume RS, Mduma ER, Mdoe P; Safer Births Bundle of Care Study Group. Outcomes of a Program to Reduce Birth-Related Mortality in Tanzania [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2406295]. N Engl J Med. 2025 Mar 13;392(11):1100-1110. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2406295.

Join us for the March edition of the Simulcast Journal Club, hosted by Vic Brazil and Ben Symon, In this episode: Integrating electronic medical records into simulations, learning from reluctant participants in paediatric simulation training, using tabletop sandbox simulations to understand emergency department care coordination, and quality in simulated participant programs in Australia.  The papers  1. Wu, T., & Coggins, A. R. (2025). Low-cost electronic medical record interface for healthcare simulation. Journal of Healthcare Simulation SRSIS, 1, S9–S11. https://doi.org/10.54531/AGRS5189 [https://doi.org/10.54531/AGRS5189]  1. Hybinette, K., Praetorius, G., Ekstedt, M., & Pukk Härenstam, K. (2025). Navigating the complexity of emergency department care coordination: A qualitative exploration of adaptive strategies using a tabletop sandbox simulation. Applied Ergonomics, 125, 104466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104466 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104466]  1. Newhouse, L., & Polwart, N. (2025). What can simulation educators learn from the reluctant participant? An exploration of the factors influencing engagement amongst adult learners participating in paediatric simulation training. Advances in Simulation, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-025-00331-9 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-025-00331-9]  1. Stokes-Parish, J., Bannatyne, A., Green, P., Alsaba, N., Turner, C., Marr, K., & Gough, S. (2025). Benchmarking person-centered simulated participant programs: A Delphi consensus study in an Australian context. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 99, 101683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2024.101683 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2024.101683]    Another great month on Simulcast.  Happy listening

This is our 200th episode of Simulcast. To mark the occasion, Vic, Ben. Jess and Jesse all shared some thoughts on what we think we’ve achieved, the impacts that Simulcast has had on us, and ventured some highlights   We reflected on our first episode in 2016, and our review of Davis Gaba’s Future vision of simulation in healthcare [https://simulationpodcast.com/future-vision-simulation-health-care-yet/]. Ben ventured that he thought we might end up like the Margaret and David [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Movies_(Australian_TV_program)] of journal club hosts. 😊 We all then had a slightly more serious thought about our future vison of healthcare simulation over the next 10 years.  Happy listening.

Ever felt that preparing equipment for advanced airway management in your ED is ‘messy’?  In this episode Vic interviews Dr Ava Butler, an emergency doctor and QI/ simulation practitioner from rural British Columbia. We discussed her recent article about how equipment re-design and translational simulation was used to dramatically improve preparation speed and staff level of comfort with advanced airway management.  The conversation was informative and inspiring. We talked about the liberating structures [https://www.liberatingstructures.com/] process of brainstorming ideas for improvement, the role of patient partners in improvement, the hierarchy of interventions [https://canadiem.org/checklists-and-the-hierarchy-of-effectiveness/] in quality improvement, and the significance of qualitative measures and stories in improvement efforts.  We marvelled at the dramatic improvements they achieved using a color-coded airway cart and translational simulation; a 76% reduction in time taken to prepare airway equipment, and significant improvements in staff comfort and team culture. EM sim cases [https://emsimcases.com/] got an honourable mention 😊, as did quality improvement initiatives that bring teams to the forefront [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn-oJxjuKHs]. Ava explained just how rewarding it is to be part of a rural practitioner team who design improvements with patients at the centre.  Learn about the implementation of a color-coded airway cart and how quality improvement techniques empowered healthcare workers, increased their confidence, and enhanced patient experiences.  Happy Listening    The paper   Ava Butler, Michael Chen, Shruti Kaushik, Terra Lee, Liam Raudaschl & Audrey Giles. From “Airway scares me” to “I would say I’m pretty comfortable”: quality improvement for reducing time to obtain equipment for adult advanced airway management in a rural emergency department. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39755767/] Can J Emerg Med (2025).