Asmund Laerdal

Today, medical errors result in an estimated 4.1 million deaths globally, every year. The methodology of simulation training in healthcare education has gained widespread recognition within the field of healthcare as a tool for reinforcing clinical skills and knowledge. Laerdal was one of the first companies to develop products for medical simulation, introducing a series of realistic human patient simulators, to enable interactive training without risk to patient safety.

As technology developed, patient manikins evolved into advanced, realistic human-like simulators used for healthcare training and medical simulation. These simulators can be used to supplement clinical practice. In a large-scale study examining the use of simulation in nursing, it was found that high quality simulation can replace up to 50% of clinical training hours. Simulation training allows for skills training and performance measurement. Simulators transmit feedback – measuring performance in metrics including CPR, emergency cardiovascular care (ECC), automated external defibrillator (AED), arrhythmia, blood pressure, airway and ventilation management, ultrasound diagnostics, advanced critical care, endovascular procedures, neonatal, venous and arterial, and nursing and patient care. Education is hands-on with directive feedback in audio, visual or both, with apps for smartphones and tablets. Technology that offers objective feedback during and after simulation is used for debriefing and improving learner performance.