Doctors specialising in anaesthesia can now train on a simulator that throws them a variety of problems that may occur during the procedure, which they have to identify and resolve in the standard four minutes.
Instead of learning only through live experiences and from books, they can practice on a dummy that has normal bodily functions, including breathing, blinking, bleeding, sweating, convulsing and even urinating. Consisting also of four computers and cameras, the simulator is an investment of €140,000 that allows the doctors to train to react to the rare emergencies that may unfold during surgery... without hurting anyone.
During a simulation yesterday, doctors had to grapple with an allergy to antibiotics, which resulted in low blood pressure, among other effects. Their orders were recorded and their colleagues could follow their moves from another room. The recording is then replayed and the trainer analyses what is right and wrong.
Around 30 crises are listed but Joseph Zarb Adami, head of anaesthesia and intensive care, is also drawing on his personal experience to create programmes for other situations he has encountered over the years.
The project is coordinated by Stephen Sciberras and the simulator, purchased in February, started to be used for training in July, following the creation of the programmes, which are costly to buy and not always readily available. The idea would be to put the Malta programmes on the market one day, and an exchange scheme is in its infancy, Dr Zarb Adami said.
Training of anaesthetists in Malta started in 1982 but, four years ago, a government scheme provided the funding for specialisation. Twenty doctors are currently following the five-year course, which is run by a joint committee of the Association of Anaesthetists and Mater Dei’s Department of Anaesthesia.
Speaking at the simulation centre, Health Minister Joe Cassar said postgraduate training in Malta had reached its “moment of glory”. Maltese doctors, specialising in anaesthesia, were even coming first in European examinations. Unfortunately, it was a double-edged sword and some went on to work abroad, he said.
The UK has five simulation centres of the sort, meaning Malta was well catered for and training could be done once a week. It is being carried out in an operating theatre, which is not in use, but the equipment can be dismantled within two hours if this is needed, Dr Zarb Adami said.