Association of Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH) is a non-profit healthcare simulation organization in the United Kingdom. ASPiH published their initial standards in 2016, describing the attributes required to design and deliver effective simulation-based education and practice. The process took two years to develop a National Standards Framework for Simulation-based Education. The Health Education England (HEE) recognized the need for standards in the healthcare simulation field and was partly-funded by the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH) to produce an initial draft document that has been further developed into this final framework through consultation, research and expert input. In 2023, the ASPiH Standards were updated to reflect new knowledge and simulation practices. This HealthySimulation.com article by Teresa Gore, PhD, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE-A, FSSH, FAAN, will discuss the development, adoption, and update of the ASPiH Standards.
ASPiH Standards Development and Update
The ASPiH Standards Project Team consulted with over 40 pilot sites, received feedback from over 80 individual practitioners, and engaged with experts from key stakeholder organizations to ensure the document is relevant and applicable across the widest possible range of simulation-based experience (SBE) applications. These standards have provided a common framework within educational and healthcare sectors, and underpinned quality assurance for simulation providers, regulators, professional bodies, and commissioners.
The ASPiH standards framework and guidance were launched at the conference in 2016, and ASPiH has since continued to raise awareness of the benefits and encourage individuals and organizations to work towards the implementation and achievement of these standards. In 2017, several publications mapped an accreditation process to the ASPiH standards for simulation-based education.
This document was composed of individual, program and organization application forms and a guidance document. An informal consultation gave the ASPiH executive committee and others who had expressed an interest in using the standards for accreditation purposes to comment, challenge and give feedback on the process. They could then make any suggestions for preliminary revisions.
During the Standards development, ASPiH overlapped with each of the four themes of the current standards and the key domains, sections, or elements of professional and regulatory body standards for education and training. The other organizations and domains were Continuing Professional Development (CPD), General Medical Council (GMC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL); interprofessional education (IPE), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH).
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Updates ASPiH Standards
In November 2021, ASPiH initiated a formal review and an update of the framework, aiming to meet the current needs of simulation practitioners and learners, reflect the evolution of simulation practice, account for emerging technologies, and address themes such as interprofessional simulation, sustainability, equity, diversity and inclusion. The revision process has included a literature review, ample consultation through virtual and face-to-face meetings, analysis of contributions, drafting of the revised standards and peer review by international simulation experts, as well as stakeholder discussions and a member survey capturing perspectives on the proposed draft.
The ASPiH Standards were updated in 2023. The updated version includes core values, faculty, activity, and resource management. This is the preferred citation for the ASPiH Standards: Diaz-Navarro C, Laws-Chapman C, Moneypenny M, Purva M. The ASPiH Standards – 2023: guiding simulation-based practice in health and care.
Core Values
- Safety
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Sustainability
- Excellence
Faculty
The standards emphasize the importance of well-trained faculty in simulation-based education:
- Training and Continuous Development: All individuals involved in simulation should be trained and committed to ongoing professional development.
- Simulation Technicians: Technicians should receive appropriate training for the simulation activities they support.
- Educators and Trainers: Must possess competence in both simulation methodologies and relevant content areas.
- Simulated Participants (SPs): Should be adequately trained for their specific roles within simulation scenarios.
Activity
- Preparation and Planning: The learning outcomes must be relevant and aligned with identified learning needs. The modality, fidelity, and simulation activity should be determined to meet the intended learning outcomes. During the planning stage, evaluation and research consideration should be integrated.
- Facilitation: Facilitators should be trained and have experience to establish psychological safety and debriefing. All activities should begin with a briefing or pre-briefing to create a safe learning environment. The simulation experience must include a facilitated reflection or debriefing session to enhance learning and performance. When used for summative assessments, simulations should prioritize validity, reliability, and psychological safety.
- Evaluation and Research: Activities should be evaluated by both participants and faculty to inform future improvements. Simulation-related research should e high quality and conducted ethically.
Resource Management
To sustain and grow simulation practices, the standards recommend:
- Establishing a clear vision, mission, and strategy aligned with organizational and stakeholder needs.
- Designating leads with appropriate expertise and accountability to oversee simulation activities and resource utilization.
- Implementing robust policies to ensure prioritization, financial support, quality assurance, and safety.
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About ASPiH
ASPiH, also known as The Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare, is a UK-based non-profit membership organization formed in 2010, comprising professionals from the fields of healthcare, education, and patient safety. These members include researchers, learning technologists, workforce development managers, education managers, administrators, healthcare staff, and students. Members of the ASPiH have a genuine interest in new and innovative learning methods and wish to optimize the use of available clinical simulation resources in their work.
Bridging undergraduate and pre-registration education together with postgraduate and post-registration training and ongoing CPD, membership with this association is available to the entire health and social care workforce. Through this membership, the association is dedicated to forming a collaborative community to improve patient care quality, safety, and effectiveness by advancing excellence in simulation in healthcare within workforce development and clinical practice.
The Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare aims to provide an effective communication network for those involved in healthcare simulation and technology-enhanced learning across the UK and beyond. The ASPiH also seeks to provide quality examples of best practice in the application of medical simulation to education, training, assessment, and research in healthcare.
ASPiH considers that all individuals involved in the design, delivery, evaluation, and translation of simulated practice should adhere to the ASPiH 2023 core values of
- Safety
- Equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Sustainability
- Excellence
ASPiH holds an annual conference to advance the discipline of SBE and provide an innovative scientific program for colleagues and experts to share and disseminate best practices on SBE in healthcare. In working to achieve this goal, the conference offers the opportunity to network formally and informally through its hosting of special interest groups, professional meetings, and social programs, and provides delegates with a forum.
