Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER)
The smallest details matter at the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER), the state-of-the-art simulation center where UPMC physicians, nurses, paramedics, and other health care professionals are prepared to expect the unexpected.
At WISER — one of the most advanced simulation centers in the country — students and seasoned health care professionals work with computerized training mannequins that can be programmed to replicate a vast array of medical emergencies or complications. WISER technicians overseeing training exercises can re-create specific scenarios so that clinicians are adequately prepared to address them.
In WISER’s mock operating room, course instructors can program a sudden loss in blood pressure or respiratory rate, requiring the team assembled around the life-size mannequin to initiate a series of protocols to stabilize their “patient.” Some mannequins can even talk to give clinicians clues about the level or type of pain they are experiencing.
In another part of the institute, a curtain depicting a Pittsburgh street corner is drawn around the room. A paramedic enters this replicated urban landscape to find a mannequin in a prone position. From a control panel, adjustments are made that cause the mannequin’s tongue to swell to twice its normal size and block its airway.
After several unsuccessful attempts to open the airway, the paramedic makes an emergency incision in the mannequin’s neck. To make the experience as realistic as possible, a blood-colored liquid flows from the incision. Moments later, the paramedic inserts a breathing tube into the opening. The mannequin’s chest resumes rising and falling. Other paramedics and first responders in the class can now review how their colleague performed during this exercise.
Placing the Emphasis on Active Learning
Innovative approaches to learning are the central focus of all activities at WISER, which occupies 10,000 square feet of space at McKee Place, a short walk from UPMC’s flagship campus in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.
Learning opportunities are interactive. Classrooms have computers so students can answer questions immediately. Instructors can then determine how many students are comprehending the information.
This technology has important relevance in today’s world. In a class on bioterrorism, an instructor might ask what is the correct dosage of atropine in initial treatment for exposure to sarin (a nerve gas). If there are few correct responses recorded on the keypads, the instructor can review the information or perhaps adjust his or her teaching style or techniques.
Many WISER educational exercises also are videotaped for further discussion or electronically shared with other sites as part of a long-distance learning activity.
Focusing on Patient Safety
The two biggest obstacles to providing care in a medical helicopter are noise and limited space. To address this concern, WISER designed a training room that replicates the interior of a helicopter. A sound system pumps in the realistic level of noise.
The institute also can teach proper safety techniques to follow when using advanced technology, such as surgical lasers. Fire prevention is a priority in oxygen-rich environments, such as operating rooms. WISER instructors show their students how to prevent a fire and what to do if it does happen.
WISER conducts some 9,000 simulations and trainings annually. These are led by more than 80 course facilitators representing multiple departments.