Simulation training has become more and more important in healthcare education. The Hong Kong Children's Hospital Simulation Training Centre provides advanced and comprehensive training for paediatrics-related healthcare professionals across Hong Kong. Learners are trained about different clinical skills and managing emergencies in a controlled environment. They then become more skillful and confident when handling similar situations in real life, which helps increase efficiency, reduce errors and enhance patient safety.

According to the centre's director Dr Winnie Chee, it has delivered more than 750 classes across various specialties, including Paediatrics, Paediatric Surgery, Anaesthesiology and Otolaryngology since August 2018. There have been over 380 instructors and 9,000 learners including medical students, interns, specialist trainees, specialists, nurses, and allied health professionals. It provides five mandatory courses for local paediatric trainees, namely Neonatal Resuscitation Program, Paediatric Advanced Life Support, Safe Paediatric Sedation, Child Protection, and Paediatric Palliative Care. Notably, HKCH is the only centre in Hong Kong accredited by the American Academy of Pediatrics to provide the Neonatal Resuscitation Program.

▲ The centre's Neonatal Resuscitation Program is mandatory for paediatric trainees and HA's Post-registration Certificate Course (PRCC) in Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing.

State-of-the-art facilities and practical curriculum

The centre works closely with course directors and instructors to design practical curriculum and realistic simulation scenarios. Its training labs can be customised into various settings, such as operating theatre, ward and imaging room, together with audiovisual effects to create an immersive environment for learners. There is also a range of manikins, from preterm baby to adult size, for practising different medical procedures. Some of the high-fidelity models can even replicate different heart rhythms, cyanosis and seizure, challenging learners to respond to different emergency situations.

▲ Projected images, special sound effects and related medical equipment are used to create an immersive environment for learners. Like in this training lab, a "patient" is undergoing a CT scan. The labs can also be transformed into other clinical settings like operating theatre and ward.

▲ Learners practise various clinical procedures using manikins, such as intubation, endoscopy and CPR. This high-fidelity manikin has adjustable vitals. It can even cry, convulse and change colour for learners to identify patients' conditions and handle emergencies.

Decommissioned ambulance turned classroom

Parked at the centre's entrance is an eye-catching ambulance. It is a real ambulance, now decommissioned and used for critical care transport training. Learners can practise operating the electric stretcher, monitoring the patient on board, communicating with the receiving hospital, and handling deteriorations. Dr Chee said, "The environment and setup inside the ambulance are incredibly realistic, equipped with a functioning siren and warning light. The only thing missing is the bumpy feeling of the road."

Training sessions are recorded and played back during debriefing to review learners' performance for improvement. Dr Chee shared that many learners speak highly of the courses' practicality and think they are applicable to daily work. The high-tech facilities also enhance their learning experience and effectiveness.

▲ Some ICU doctors and nurses practising how to support critically ill children with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine.

▲ In the control room, instructors can observe learners' performance through a one-way mirrored glass and multiple cameras. They can also manipulate the scenarios by adjusting the manikins based on learners' real-time responses.

Additionally, the centre hosts monthly hospital grand round seminars, where various clinical teams of HKCH share the management and latest developments of different complex cases. Online streaming is available for healthcare professionals from other public and private hospitals to watch. Counterparts in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Macao have also registered to join.

▲ The centre hosts monthly hospital grand round where clinical teams share their experience in managing complex cases. Healthcare professionals from outside Hong Kong can also watch the seminars and demonstrations via live streaming.

Quest to improve course quality

Earlier, Dr Chee presented in a medical simulation conference in Shanghai which was attended by over a hundred experts nationwide. Attendees were impressed by the scale and training capability of the HKCH centre. Dr Chee plans to expand its scope of service, and one of the focuses is to offer more Paediatric Surgery courses.

Developing new courses is not without challenges. For example, the cardiac ultrasound course co-organised with the University of Hong Kong's Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine took more than six months to launch including curriculum development, finding instructors, and simulation scenarios design. Courses on Paediatric Surgery is also challenging. The centre is working with surgeons to procure suitable simulators, and exploring the use of virtual reality training materials.

Dr Chee emphasised that the centre will stay updated with the latest trends in simulation training including virtual reality, aiming to incorporate more new elements into the courses for continuous improvement.

▲ The centre will stay updated with the latest trends in simulation training, introduce more new courses and advanced facilities to provide high-quality training for healthcare professionals.