Logistics of conducting a large number of individual sessions with a full-scale patient simulator at a scientific meeting.

Objective: To design and implement the logistics of accommodating a large number of participants in individual, hands-on sessions on a full-scale patient simulator during a major scientific meeting or continuing medical education course.

Methods: We used our method during the 11th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in Sydney, Australia to facilitate studying the impact of pulse oximetry and capnography on the time taken by anesthesiologists to correctly identify critical incidents on a full-scale patient simulator. Each study participant spent 15 minutes in 4 sections of the study area: the anesthesia and monitoring equipment briefing room, the simulator briefing room, the simulation room and the debriefing room.

Results: There were 113 participants during five days (15 during instructor training and 25, 23, 24 and 26 on subsequent exhibit days). We were oversubscribed daily. However, there were 9 no-shows during the 4 days of the study, which generated a participant absence rate of 9.2%. The average number of participants over the 4 days of the study was 24.5 per day compared to our capacity of 27 per day. The feedback we obtained from the participants about the simulation experience and the format of the exercise was positive and enthusiastic.

Conclusions: We have developed a practical and viable method that can be adapted for use at scientific meetings and courses, which improves accessibility of individual, hands-on sessions on full-scale patient simulators to a larger audience than previously attainable. Our method is applicable for continuing medical education courses as well as research purposes in the form of prospective studies during scientific meetings and courses.