Interactive Education System for Teaching Patient Care

Abstract

A method of teaching patient care is provided. The method includes providing a medical simulator including a model of at least a portion of a human body. The simulator is configured to execute a simulated medical scenario. The method also includes defining a plurality of palette items, each of the plurality of palette items associated with a physiological state of the simulator, and defining at least one scenario, the at least one scenario including a series of linked palette items. The method also includes selecting a scenario for execution by the simulator, communicating the selected scenario to the simulator, and utilizing the simulator to execute the selected scenario.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of teaching patient care, the method comprising:
 providing a patient simulator comprising a model of at least a portion of a human body and configured to execute simulated medical scenarios;   defining a plurality of palette items, each of the plurality of palette items associated with a physiological state of the simulator;   linking two or more of the plurality of palette items together in a sequence to define a first medical scenario;   communicating the first scenario to the simulator;   simulating the first scenario utilizing the patient simulator.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physiological state of the simulator comprises breathing information. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the breathing information includes a respiratory pattern, a respiratory rate, and lung sounds. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the breathing information further includes an O2 saturation and wherein the lung sounds comprise separate left and right lung sounds and separate upper and lower lung sounds. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the physiological state of the simulator further comprises airway passage condition information. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the airway passage condition information includes information regarding a tongue endema, a pharyngeal swelling, a laryngospasm, and upper airway sounds. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physiological state of the simulator further comprises circulation information. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the circulation information includes a cardiac rhythm, a heart rate, and a blood pressure. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the circulation information further includes a heart sound and distal pulse information. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physiological state of the simulator further comprises vocal sounds. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising having a user perform simulated patient care on the simulator based on the selected scenario. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising evaluating the user's performance. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein evaluating the user's performance is performed by an instructor. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein evaluating the user's performance is based at least partially on sensed data obtained from the simulator. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the medical simulator is a maternal simulator for use in birthing simulations. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 providing a fetal simulator for use with the maternal simulator;   defining a plurality of fetal palette items, each of the plurality of fetal palette items associated with a physiological state of the fetal simulator;   linking two or more of the plurality of fetal palette items together in a sequence to define a second medical scenario;   communicating the second scenario to the fetal simulator; and   simulating the second scenario utilizing the fetal simulator.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first scenario simulated using the maternal simulator is different from the second scenario simulated using the fetal simulator. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the second scenario is associated with the first scenario of the maternal simulator. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein a physiological state of the second scenario is based at least in part on an associated physiological state of the first scenario. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein a simulated circulatory or respiratory problem of the maternal simulator reduces the simulated supply of oxygen to the fetal simulator.