Healthcare Simulation 2050: Building a Better Future Together
Bob Armstrong of NCCMMS recently co-led an insightful Society for Simulation in Healthcare Forum on 9-10 January 2025. Titled “Healthcare Simulation 2050: Building a Better Future Together,” the Forum brought together simulation experts and healthcare leaders to discuss the current state of healthcare simulation and envision its future. Paul Phrampus, MD, MBA, CPE, from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was also a co-lead. The event preceded the 2025 International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare.
From the IMSH Show Daily: “This preconference forum isn’t just an event; it’s a movement towards safer, more effective healthcare,” said SSH President Barry Issenberg, MD, FSSH. He urged IMSH attendees to “Be part of a collaborative environment that promises to enhance patient safety and quality improvement through the power of simulation.” “SSH is in a unique position to help create the future of healthcare simulation, as well as guide the development and use of related technologies such as artificial intelligence, extended reality, and personalized learning,” echoed SSH Past President Bob Armstrong, MS. “Creating our future starts with a deep understanding of both the met and unmet needs of the educational and clinical workforce. I look forward to learning about these needs during the Healthcare Simulation 2050 forum!”
The event was organized around seven breakout groups separated by practice areas listed below. Each breakout group had two facilitators to help guide discussion and capture input/insights.
- Advanced Practice Providers
- EMS Pre-Hospital
- Health Sciences
- Health Systems / Leadership
- Nursing
- Physicians
- Quality Improvement / Patient Safety
The breakouts were all focused on three core questions:
- Session 1: Thinking about how we plan, coordinate, execute, and assess healthcare simulation today, identify current utilization of simulation in your practice domains.
- Session 2: In 2050, what should healthcare simulation look like?
- Session 3: What are the anticipated challenges to achieving our perception of the future of healthcare simulation? (Do not consider money or time as obstacles.)
All the sessions were recorded, and the team is in the process of analyzing the 50+ hours of discussion and related notes. The group anticipates that the Forum Report will be helpful in driving future needs as well as future advocacy efforts for healthcare simulation.
We will post a link to the Forum Report once it is made available.