A team of University of Iowa researchers, led by Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation project engineer Steven Long, PhD, attended the Orthopedic Trauma Association Resident Fracture Course April 27-30 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Over 100 resident physicians from across the country and around the world participated in the course, which trains residents on a variety of core orthopedic skills, including wire navigation. As part of the course, the orthopedic residents were taken through a series of training exercises to practice treating geriatric hip fractures and pediatric elbow fractures, using simulator technology developed through research at Iowa.
The wire navigation simulator provides residents with artificial X-ray images they would see in the operating room without exposing them to any radiation. The residents receive feedback and a summary score based on their performance. The goal of this research is to provide a safe environment for orthopedic residents to practice their skills outside of the operating room so that when they come to the operating room, they have the skills needed to ensure successful outcomes for patients. Data collected through this research has shown that residents who practice with the simulator are more accurate and more efficient when they enter the operating room.
The research to develop the simulator technology and bring it to national fracture courses was funded through grants provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Orthopedic Trauma Foundation
A team of University of Iowa researchers led by Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation project engineer Steven Long, PhD, attended the Orthopedic Trauma Association Resident Fracture Course April 27-30 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Over 100 resident physicians from across the country and around the world participated in the course, which trains residents on core wire navigation skills. The orthopedic residents were taken through a series of training tasks to practice treating geriatric hip fractures and pediatric elbow fractures, using simulator technology developed through research at Iowa.
The simulation provides residents with artificial X-ray images they would see in the operating room without exposing them to any radiation. The residents receive feedback and a summary score based on their performance.
The Iowa research on which the simulator technology was developed was funded through grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Orthopedic Trauma Foundation.