The School, which is home to a £5.8m Centre for Health Innovation, is one of just two UK-based organisations, and the only UK University, to sign up to the code.
Supported by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, the Healthcare Simulationist Code of Ethics was formulated by a global working group to support the quality and ethical practice of healthcare simulation around the world.
The code establishes a set of values to support the quality and ethical practice of healthcare simulation, and more broadly, moves the speciality yet another step forward as a professionally recognised field of practice in healthcare.
The Healthcare Simulationist Code of Ethics asserts key aspirational values important to the practice of simulation including, Integrity, Transparency, Mutual Respect, Professionalism, Accountability and Results Orientation.
Emily Browne, Associate Dean for Innovation and Enterprise and School Lead for Simulation and Patient Safety at Staffordshire University said, “We are striving to create a great community of practice in simulation and patient safety within the University. Formally adopting the Healthcare Simulationist Code of Ethics builds on our existing five-stage approach framework of integrating simulation-based education within all our courses.”
“Our students, local NHS, and healthcare trusts and, the community partake in simulation activities hosted through the School of Health, Science and Wellbeing. Embedding the code within our simulation activities holds us accountable to delivering quality and ethical standards in our practice of simulation education.”
Christine Park, Professor of Anaesthesiology and Associate Head for Learning and Innovation at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former president of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare said, “As healthcare simulation has become increasingly identifiable as a defined profession within healthcare that has specific parameters, we felt it necessary to both support and further the process by unifying around a code of ethics.”
“The Healthcare Simulationist Code of Ethics is designed to assert aspirational values at the highest, general level for all healthcare simulation professionals.”
The Healthcare Simulation Code of Ethics is available for free via download and can be translated and annotated for specific purposes. Work on the Code of Ethics began at a summit in January 2018 led by Park, bringing together a global working group of healthcare simulationists. Delegates represented six continents, a breadth of professions and simulation practices, and leadership from simulation organizations and industry partners
Learn more about Simmersive education at Staffordshire University.