open access
Simulation as a suitable education approach for medical training in marine and off-shore industries: theoretical underpinning
open access
Abstract
Healthcare providers in marine and offshore industries must often perform high-risk procedures outside of their usual scope of practice, frequently using novel, complex telemedical technologies to perform an already unfamiliar task — often while multitasking, and sometimes in extreme environmental conditions. Given all the novelty occurring at once, the probability of medical error increases. This increase can be explained by the Cognitive Load Theory, which states that too much demand on the working memory can tax the ability of the long-term memory. This article will show that one solution to this situation is to use simulation in the medical training of offshore and marine medical practitioners. Contextualised simulation practice creates automatic schemas that reside in the long-term memory, minimising strain on the working memory — and, in a marine medical context, also minimising the risk of medical error.
Abstract
Healthcare providers in marine and offshore industries must often perform high-risk procedures outside of their usual scope of practice, frequently using novel, complex telemedical technologies to perform an already unfamiliar task — often while multitasking, and sometimes in extreme environmental conditions. Given all the novelty occurring at once, the probability of medical error increases. This increase can be explained by the Cognitive Load Theory, which states that too much demand on the working memory can tax the ability of the long-term memory. This article will show that one solution to this situation is to use simulation in the medical training of offshore and marine medical practitioners. Contextualised simulation practice creates automatic schemas that reside in the long-term memory, minimising strain on the working memory — and, in a marine medical context, also minimising the risk of medical error.
Keywords
simulation, education, training, cognitive load, performance, skills
About this articleTitle
Simulation as a suitable education approach for medical training in marine and off-shore industries: theoretical underpinning
Journal
Issue
Pages
164-167
Published online
2015-09-22
Page views
1744
Article views/downloads
1910
DOI
10.5603/IMH.2015.0032
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
IMH 2015;66(3):164-167.
Keywords
simulation
education
training
cognitive load
performance
skills
Authors
Adam Dubrowski
