Death in High-Fidelity Simulation: A Bioethical Analysis

Abstract

With the growing popularity and increasing use of high fidelity simulation (HFS) in medical education, the appropriate role of simulated patient death in the curriculum has been debated from both an educational and ethical perspective. Given that HFS is a relatively new medical teaching modality, the prevailing uncertainty regarding the use of patient death to reinforce medical knowledge and decision-making likely stems from a lack of literature and open discussion on the topic. It is the goal of this paper to further explore the ethical implications of exposing learners in HFS to simulated patient death, with the hope of aiding in the development of effective curriculum for HFS programs.