Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2008
Role of simulators, educational programs, and nontechnical skills in anesthesia resident selection, education, and competency assessment.
Theoretical knowledge for anesthesia residents requires learning from a variety of sources. Technical skills are important and simulators are being used in many centers. ⋯ Training is evolving and higher standards in this field should create safer anesthesiologists. Simulator-based education and testing and assessment of nontechnical skills should be a priority in anesthesia residency programs.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2008
The American Society of Anesthesiologists' national endorsement program for simulation centers.
Anesthesiologists pioneered the use of simulation for health care years ago, and expanded the use of the technology in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, the American Society of Anesthesiologists is supporting an accreditation process for simulation programs to ensure that practicing anesthesiologists and their patients benefit from innovative, experiential training that has the potential to improve care and foster a higher level of patient safety. The development of this accreditation process is discussed along with its anticipated benefits.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2008
The simulation theater: a theoretical discussion of concepts and constructs that enhance learning.
The increasing role of simulation in medical education has paralleled the advancement of this technology. Full environment simulation (FES) can be used to effectively replicate rare medical catastrophes with exacting realism. ⋯ Theoretically, the addition of emotional content to simulated crises during FES can be used to affect emotional changes in the participants and thus facilitate learning. Here, we discuss the theoretical benefit and the use of FES with emotional enhancement as it relates to improved memory and learning.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2008
Quantifying the volume of documented clinical information in critical illness.
The purpose of this study is to describe the volume of clinical information documented in critical illness, its relationship to the use of intensive care unit (ICU) technology, and changes over time. ⋯ A large and increasing volume of information was documented during the course of critical illness. More information was documented in patients receiving ICU technologies, suggesting that the volume of documented information is a marker of therapeutic intensity. It is also a source of workload and provides opportunity for error. Our findings underscore the importance of effective information management and communication strategies. Additional work is needed to evaluate the implications of current documentation practices for workload and quality of care.
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2008
Fewer intensive care unit refusals and a higher capacity utilization by using a cyclic surgical case schedule.
Mounting health care costs force hospital managers to maximize utilization of scarce resources and simultaneously improve access to hospital services. This article assesses the benefits of a cyclic case scheduling approach that exploits a master surgical schedule (MSS). An MSS maximizes operating room (OR) capacity and simultaneously levels the outflow of patients toward the intensive care unit (ICU) to reduce surgery cancellation. ⋯ Our findings show that the proposed cyclic OR planning policy may benefit OR utilization and reduce surgical case cancellation and peak demands on the ICU.