When mechanical ventilation is initiated for surgical and acute-unit patients, protecting the fragile lungs while assisting or performing the respiratory function is paramount. Developments in automation of ventilators today largely facilitate important aspects of airway management and support clinical decision-making, but the skill and knowledge of the respiratory therapist or attending physician remains the essential, driving engine in this vital area of patient care.

ACT: What are some of the scenarios — decisions or investments — in which a hospital might want to consider doing a simulation model first?
Rainer Dronzek: It can really span from upfront in the facility design to when they are actually designing the processes that go into the facility — then there is the actual operational aspect. In many cases we get called because there is a bottleneck or a specific problem to solve.

Imagine for a moment, if something along these lines actually had happened. Back in the early 1990s when the debut of the Internet’s World Wide Web empowered anyone to be a writer, reporter, editor or commentator, respectable print publications complained to the federal government about how this new medium was bad for competition. After all, it would likely reduce profits and revenues, which would drive many of the print media out of circulation and out of business.