The MIDAS touch: Frameworks for procedural model innovation and validation

Area of Science:

• Medical Simulation
• Educational Frameworks
• Engineering Design Principles

Background:

• Simulation-based procedural practice is vital for emergency medicine (EM) skills.
• Existing commercial procedural models are often inadequate or unavailable.
• Simulationists frequently develop custom models without standardized design or validation frameworks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current state of novel procedural model validation in simulation.
• To develop two interlinked frameworks for systematic model creation and validation.
• To support the broader simulation community in developing high-quality educational models.

Main Methods:

• Convened the Model Innovation, Development and Assessment for Simulation (MIDAS) working group.
• Conducted a preconference workshop at the 2023 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting.
• Administered surveys to workshop participants to evaluate current practices and barriers.

Main Results:

• 100% survey response rate from 17 participants.
• Many simulationists create models, but few validate them due to lack of guidelines and familiarity.
• Developed two frameworks: one for model creation/refinement and one for validation processes.

Conclusions:

• The proposed frameworks promote a deliberate, form-follows-function approach to model development.
• Standardized guidelines can enhance training quality and reduce innovation costs.
• These frameworks aim to improve the standardization and scholarship of novel simulation model development.