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In‑Situ Simulation Program Playbook
Step-by-step guidance to run in‑situ simulations that surface latent safety threats, improve teamwork, and produce actionable system improvements.
In‑Situ Simulation Program Playbook
Turn realistic, on‑ward simulations into a reliable way to find system gaps, train teams, and improve patient care—without wasting clinical time.
Why in‑situ simulation matters
Simulations that happen in the actual clinical environment let teams test real equipment, workflows, communication, and coordination under plausible conditions. When done well, in‑situ simulation reveals latent threats—poor room layout, unclear role assignments, equipment failures, handoff vulnerabilities—and gives teams a safe space to practice before a real patient encounter.
What this playbook helps you do
Use practical templates, scenario packs, facilitation checklists, and debrief guides to:
- Design scenarios linked to local risks (deteriorating patient, airway crisis, medication error pathways).
- Schedule sessions to minimise disruption and respect staffing constraints.
- Facilitate structured prebriefs and reflective debriefs that surface system issues rather than blame individuals.
- Document findings, assign owners, and track corrective actions so simulations drive improvement.
Who benefits
Clinical educators, simulation program leads, quality and safety teams, nurse managers, emergency and critical care teams, perioperative staff, and allied health professionals can all use these materials to make simulation more relevant and actionable. Small hospitals and large systems alike can adapt the guidance to local resources and policies.
How this connects to broader improvement work
In‑situ simulation is most effective when integrated with competency frameworks, incident learning systems, and quality improvement cycles. This playbook is designed to be adapted—use the scenario library to seed local curricula, link simulation findings to audits and PDSA cycles, and measure follow-up actions to show improvement over time.
What's included
The collection includes a scenario library starter pack, a deteriorating patient scenario pack, facilitation checklists, and ready‑to‑use debrief templates so you can run repeatable, evidence‑informed sessions that lead to system change.
Ready to get started? Download the starter pack, review the facilitation checklist, and schedule a short pilot session with a single unit—then use the debrief template to capture actions and owners.
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