American College of Cardiology and Center of Excellence for Simulation Research of Western Michigan University (CESR) Partner for in situ Simulation to Improve Team Communication and Door-to-Balloon ...( WASHINGTON BATTLE CREEK Mich. and...),Health

WASHINGTON, BATTLE CREEK, Mich., and EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Center of Excellence for Simulation Research (CESR) of Western Michigan University announced the launch of an educational and research partnership, using in situ simulation to improve the time from hospital presentation with an acute myocardial infarction (MI) to balloon angioplasty (D2B). Mentice Inc. was selected as the exclusive technology vendor, utilizing its Vascular Intervention Simulation Trainer (VIST(TM)) and newly launched MenticeSIM(TM) platform for enhanced videocapture, skills evaluation and post-experience assessment.

The ACC is the nation's leader in promoting evidence-based care for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including its educational programs sponsored by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) and its quality improvement efforts such as reducing door-to-balloon times through the D2B Alliance. W. Douglas Weaver, M.D., F.A.C.C., ACC President, asserted that, "I am proud that the ACC is collaborating with leaders in simulation technology to advance patient care. In situ simulation has improved safety in commercial aviation and it also will bring many benefits to acute MI care, where a team of healthcare providers must quickly and expertly respond to emergency situations where every minute counts."

"This initiative is a perfect example of using a quality improvement model as the framework for continuing education learning activities," said Elizabeth Yarboro, Senior Director of Education Strategy and Accreditation at ACC. Joseph Green, Ph.D., Chief Learning Officer, added, "Activities such as this, which are learner-centered, assess outcomes, and include measurement of discrete behavior change, will lead to quantifiable assessment of changes in competence for healthcare professionals."

William Hamman, M.D., Ph.D., cardiologist, pilot and former manager of human factors and risk assessm
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