In the presence of the Minister of Health at the Kurdistan Region, Dr. Saman Hussain Al-barzanji, the President of the University of Duhok, Dr. Dawood Sulaiman Al-atrushi, the President of the American University of Kurdistan, Dr. Randall Rhodes, the Director of Health of the Governorate of Duhok, Dr. Avrasiab Musa, the College of Nursing at the American University of Kurdistan held the first Healthcare Simulation Conference “Simulating Success: The Critical Role of Policy Makers in Integrating Simulation-Based Learning into Healthcare Training and Education, under the slogan: “Transforming Iraq’s Healthcare Education and Training Through Clinical Simulation: Now, Next, and Beyond”, at the American University Campus on the 28th,29th April 2023. Also, medical professionals from the colleges of Medicine and Nursing at the universities of Duhok, Mosul, Soran, Zakho, and the American University attended the conference.

The aim beyond this conference was to shed light on using the modern machines and mannequins of High, medium or low fidelity in the medical practices that are exercised by the nursing students at the colleges, then, they apply them in their career life after the graduation in the field of medicine and nursing. Using theses machines and mannequins by the students before their graduation, helps in serving the patients in a better way, reducing the mistakes of the nurses and doctors, and to break the barriers of fear and shy while interacting with the patients in their future. Knowing that the idea of simulation at healthcare education and learning brought up by the conference is new and the first of its kind in all over Iraq, as shown by the Clinical Director at the American University, Dr. Nizar Shakir. “The smart machines and mannequins represent the humankind patients. They produce human-like natural responses when the nursing students treat them.” He stated.

Among the practices that the students can exercise on these machines are the arterial puncture, measuring blood pleasure, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, natural childbirth, and children artificial respiration.

Throughout the conference, a number of local and international senior healthcare consultants and experts, from the United States of America, Europe, Iran, Russia, Pakistan, Qatar and Philippine, presented various presentations on the aforementioned subject. They talked about the benefits of having simulation-based machines and the strategies related to them. One of the most crucial presentations was the one presented by Dr. Jervy Bernardino, the Dean of the College of Nursing at the American University of Kurdistan and the organizer of the conference, in which he shaded light on the Standardized Patients (SP). It means when the doctor or the nurse concurs with a specified patient on keeping on treating them and monitoring their case and receiving feedbacks from them to be paid on that even for small amounts. This helps in getting the outcomes after the medical integration, which cannot be delivered by the smart machines or mannequins.

Another significant strategy put forward was the moulage technique, to be performed on the smart machines and mannequins by creating false wounds to be familiar to the students. Thus, the emotional abilities of them can be reinforced and they get rid of their fears, especially in facing critical medical cases or unwanted views such as injuries or bleeding.

On anothe hand, Dr. Mohammed Hazim Al-dabbagh, the Pediatric Surgeon Consultant and the Head of the Department of Medical Education Development at the University of Duhok's College of Medicine, presented a speech on "Integrating Simulation-based Education in Undergraduate Medical Curriculum". He talked about how to develop these educational programs, along with the simulation forms that can be used in the medical education wether they are low, or high fidelity machines, virtual reality techniques or simulating patients by some persons.

In addition to that, a panel was held headed by the former Director of Health at the Duhok Governorate, Dr. Nizar Ismet. In this panel many healthcare experts took parts and discussed the most important evidence-based practices in the field of health-care simulation.

Due to the increased turnout on the conference and its new raised ideas; well received by the attendants, it was decided to hold the simulation conference annually, in the sake of keeping up the latest advances in healthcare simulation, knowing that the second simulation conference will be held next year.

UOD Media; May 8th 2023

Fatima Mahmood. Firmesk Haso and Mahir Kestayi