CAE Healthcare, a Sarasota-based manufacturer of medical simulator “manikins,” is providing a suite of training materials for the healthcare community dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic. The company has created a downloadable “Simulated Clinical Experience” (SCE) that can be used with a variety of CAE-made simulators to recreate the symptoms and behaviors of a sick patient. It’s also offering a webinar for maximizing the effectiveness of its equipment and program.

In short, the manikins with the SCE programming will “behave” as though they might have the virus, simulating breathing issues (both audibly and in pulse-ox feedback), rapid heart rate, fever, and other symptoms that medical personnel can observe and act on in order to better prepare themselves for dealing with the real thing. Depending on the setup, the manikins can cry, cough, vomit, bleed or urinate.

The COVID-19 SCE includes a basic patient presentation, skills for triage and patient assessment, the implementation of safety protocols to prevent further infection and cross-contamination, guidance for caring for the patients as symptoms progress, waste-disposal management and even “after-care actions” like quarantine and notifying the public. The scenario was designed according to CDC- and WHO-approved procedures for handling a coronavirus infection and overall facility preparedness.

CAE manikins are used around the world in a range of educational and medical settings, including schools, hospitals, military bases and rural outreach programs. The manikins can simulate numerous medical scenarios, including trauma, cardiovascular events and childbirth. The state-of-the-art technology can walk trainees through preprogrammed scenarios, or it can be manipulated remotely and in the moment by the instructors in charge of the training, recreating the unpredictable aspects of medical care. 

The covid-19 SCE and webinar are free to CAE customers and healthcare providers through March and April.