The Growing Need for Web-Based Simulation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Simulation education is the bridge between learning clinical medicine in the classroom and delivering it at the bedside. As healthcare simulation has matured over the last two decades, it has begun to evolve many of the same methodologies. Rapid technological advancements across the fields of computer science, bioengineering, and curriculum design have helped to provide healthcare that is delivered more efficiently, effectively, and ethically. Web-based simulation programs (Web-SP) are poised to provide an efficient way to deliver asynchronous training in healthcare professionals' education. Web-SPs could also sponsor specialty-specific, web-based fellowships for clinicians of LMICs. The COVID-19 pandemic provided unique insight into the robustness of web-based learning tools that permitted remote learning opportunities. Under similar circumstances, should they arise again, Web-SPs would be a valuable tool for sustaining medical training under conditions where only remote learning may be feasible. Studies indicate that cost-effective simulation training can be delivered to learners in remote, low-resource areas worldwide, including South Asia, where access to such education is limited. We aimed to explore the effectiveness, challenges, and strategies for implementing web-based simulation education in low- and middle-income countries, based on a thorough PubMed search focused on web-based simulation programs in medical education.