Serious Gaming to Improve the Safety of Central Venous Catheter Placement
Daniel Katz, Samuel Demaria
Approximately 5 million central venous catheters (CVCs) are
placed by physicians annually in the United States, with a
complication rate of 15%.1 Guidelines and recommendations
are continually being established and updated regarding CVC
placement.2 While much has been done regarding training the
technical skills of CVC placement using part-task trainers (i.e.,
mannequins), successfully finding and cannulating a central
vein is but one part of the process. In fact, many steps designed
to prevent untoward complications involve non-technical skills
which are perhaps more important in training practitioners to
safely place CVCs.
First in aviation and now in healthcare, practitioners are being
trained in realistic and highly interactive simulated
environments so they can learn not just technical skills , but the
key management and non-technical steps which make their task
safer.3 One modality being used to improve performance is
video gaming simulation, or “serious gaming.” Gaming as a
learning tool is being increasingly utilized in health care fields
and can lead to better skill-based outcomes.4 As such, we have
developed a game based around the placement of CVCs that
will be used as a new teaching modality in a pilot program for
instructing residents in safe CVC placement. Full Text
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