When perfect realism isn't realistic- or perfect

Building Smarter Dummies

I really enjoyed a recent interview with the Senior Technology Editor of the Chicago Sun Times, Sandra Guy, regarding OSF Healthcare's start-up SIMnext.  Years ago when we set out on this path to build the next generation medical simulation company, we had a thesis: simulation could impact patient care if it was portable and affordable.

Our focus on patient care outcomes is the key differentiator

At SIMnext we leverage access to data to determine learner needs.  We studied our own practices within OSF Healthcare to determine what kinds of training would really make a difference.  Acknowledging that portable ultrasonography was coming to general and family medicine practices, we identified a need to train providers to maximize their physical examination skills, augmented by ultrasound.  Trouble was, there were no dynamic ultrasound trainers that a provider could pick up and learn to use their own devices. 

So we built it.  If we did this well, providers would have confidence in their augmented physical examination and might safely avoid expensive, unnecessary, and wasteful advanced testing.  Patients would get their diagnosis faster at their provider's office and would not have to take time out of their lives for "normal" test results.  In a post-Obamacare environment, avoiding unnecessary tests is essential for the sustainability of quality healthcare.

That's why we built that trainer- DR Doppler and built a company- SIMnext around it.

Dynamism and Feedback are critical for engaging professional learners

Adult professional learners (docs, nurses, and advance practice providers) all expect engagement at the highest level when they learn.  Educators like those at the Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center need powerful tools that respect the learners' time and experience.  We needed to move beyond the virtual reality models which require artificial probes and contrived images, and beyond static phantoms which permit the use of live ultrasound, but fail to be anatomically accurate.

The previous realistic modes of learning were for people to scan each other or actors to achieve that realism, but of course learners and actors were generally healthy.  It was hard to gain experience recognizing disease, and proficiency was only achieved by scanning patients over long periods of time.  Sometimes it took years to see something uncommon and subtle, and regrettably there would be a learning curve, which meant some diagnoses would be missed.

That's why we hired the best and brightest engineers from the University of Illinois College of Engineering, a top-five school right in our backyard.  These brilliant engineers and industrial designers created a model that really engaged the learners, allowed them to learn with their own equipment, and develop technical skills in a realistic environment.  We built expertise and connections in Chicago Matter, and launched DR Doppler there in January.

Clinical Simulation can be portable and affordable

The combination of our clinical needs and our talented engineers lead us to remarkable new ideas.  We replicate this recipe with a few added ingredients within the Jump ARCHES program, which develops applied research before commercialization.  We also asked what else we could do commercially.  HealthScholars is SIMnext's next offering.  Leveraging the vast experience in physical and VR simulation at CSE Software, in Peoria, Illinois, we created apps for mobile platforms to provide nurses "just in time training" at the patient bedside. Here we focused the engineers' and designers' attention on man-machine interfaces in the healthcare environment.  This idea is going wild because it mitigates medical errors, a leading cause of death in all hospitals across the nation.

We recognize the need for this very important and outcomes-focused work to be sustainable.  Your health care providers want to create the best outcomes for you. That's why we made these offerings portable and affordable.  The right combination of good will and discipline, especially when you draw a variety of disciplines together around serious problems, works.  SIMnext makes these next generation simulation heath care training devices available in seven countries to date. 

https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/7/71/1335985/sunday-sitdown-dr-john-vozenilek-med-tech-entrepreneur