(Topeka, Kan., Nov. 2, 2007) - METI Man, a human patient simulator used for health care teaching and training, has moved to Topeka.
A joint project of Stormont-Vail HealthCare and the Baker School of Nursing, the human simulation model is now being used by nursing students and hospital staff to learn more about human conditions and disease processes.
“METI technology provides a useful tool of clinical simulation to assist students and staff members to anticipate the physiological effects of interventions, as well as help enhance critical thinking and decision-making skills in patient care,” said Carol Perry, vice president and chief nursing officer at Stormont-Vail.
The METI Man, a full-sized mannequin developed by Medical Education Technologies Inc., is a learning platform that allows students and health care professionals to practice interventions, but not on real patients. The goal is to improve patient safety and ultimately save more lives.
The human simulator can endure heart attacks, collapsed lungs, severe strokes, and a variety of other ailments that can be programmed via an integrated computer system. The program is designed so that if his health condition changes, corresponding vital signs change accordingly.
METI Man also comes pre-programmed with multiple patient scenarios, from a young healthy person to an older person who may have pre-existing conditions, as well as habits such as smoking. Because of the differences in patients, students and staff can then see how various interventions may affect those individuals.
Students can learn effective lifesaving techniques and clinical management of conditions ranging from the simple to complex, as well as get practice taking vital signs.
Baker School of Nursing Dean Kathleen Harr said that METI simulator’s responses are so real that students sometimes forget that it is not a real person.
The human simulator is located in a newly created education lab at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center. The project was made possible by funding from Stormont-Vail Foundation, Christ’s Hospital Corp., Stormont-Vail HealthCare and Baker University.
Dr. Harr said she is grateful to the donors whose contributions made the purchase of the human simulator and the establishment of the new education lab possible.
“It is exciting to offer nursing students and staff the opportunity to learn using this new technology,” she said.
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NOTE TO MEDIA; An open house for Stormont-Vail staff, Baker School of Nursing students and staff, and donors will be 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6. This event is not open to the public, but media is invited to attend. If you would like to make arrangements for coverage, please contact Nancy Burkhardt at (785) 575-5493
