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INACSL HEALTHCARE SIMULATION STANDARDS OF BEST PRACTICE WITH THE SUPPORT AND INPUT OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY®

The Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® are designed to advance the science of simulation, share best practices, and provide evidence-based guidelines for the practice and development of a comprehensive standard of practice.

The Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® provide a detailed process for evaluating and improving simulation operating procedures and delivery methods that every simulation team will benefit from. Adoption of the Healthcare Simulation Standards demonstrates a commitment to quality and implementation of rigorous evidence-based practices in healthcare education to improve patient care.

Want to read and study the standards in another language? INACSL is partnering with Laerdal Medical and international members of INACSL to translate all ten Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice into multiple languages to make this knowledge more available for our international simulation community. Explore our current language translations with more coming soon.

Onward and Upward: The Healthcare Simulation Standards Preamble

The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Standards Committee and the INACSL Board of Directors (BOD) introduce the fourth edition of the Standards of Best Practice. Since originally announced in 2011, the INACSL Standards of Best Practice have guided the integration, use, and advancement of simulation-based experiences within academia, clinical practice, and research. Healthcare professionals around the globe have and continue to champion simulation; thus, allowing the Standards to flourish. Access the full Preamble here.

Professional Development

Initial and ongoing professional development supports the simulationist across their career.  As the practice of simulation-based education grows, professional development allows the simulationist to stay current with new knowledge, provide high-quality simulation experiences, and meet the educational needs of the learners.  Access the full standard here.

Prebriefing

Prebriefing is a process which involves preparation and briefing. Prebriefing ensures that simulation learners are prepared for the educational content and are aware of the ground rules for the simulation-based experience. Access the full standard here.

Simulation Design

Simulation-based experiences are purposefully designed to meet identified objectives and optimize achievement of expected outcomes. Access the full standard here.

Facilitation

Facilitation methods are varied and use of a specific method is dependent on the learning needs of the learner and the expected outcomes. Facilitation provides the structure and process to guide participants to work cohesively, to comprehend learning objectives and develop a plan to achieve desired outcomes. Access the full standard here.

The Debriefing Process

All simulation-based educational (SBE) activities must include a planned debriefing process. This debriefing process may include any of the activities of feedback, debriefing, and/or guided reflection. Access the full standard here.

Operations

All simulation-based education programs require systems and infrastructure to support and maintain operations. Access the full standard here. 

Outcomes & Objectives

All simulation-based experiences (SBE) originate with the development of measurable objectives designed to achieve expected behaviors and outcomes. Access the full standard here.

Professional Integrity

Professional integrity refers to the ethical behaviors and conduct that are expected of all involved throughout simulation-based experiences (SBE); facilitators, learners, and participants. Access the full standard here.

Simulation-Enhanced-IPE

Simulation-enhanced interprofessional education (Sim- IPE) enables learners from different healthcare professions to engage in a simulation-based experience to achieve linked or shared objectives and outcomes. Access the full standard here.

Evaluation of Learning and Performance

Simulation-based experiences may include evaluation of the learner. Access the full standard here.

Cornerstones of Best Practice

The Cornerstones of Best Practice program creates a new way to learn about the four cornerstones of high quality simulation — Prebriefing, Facilitation, Professional Integrity, and Debriefing — with more flexible, independent, participant-driven educational course modules that you can complete online on your own schedule.

Learn More About Cornerstones of Best Practice

Simfographics, Posters, Flipbooks and Physical Copies

INACSL has created a variety of graphic representations and resources to complement the Healthcare Simulation Standards and for use in your classroom, hospital, lab or at home.

Simfographics: Download these free graphics that highlight the main criterion of each standard for use in your presentations or as a teaching tool. Currently, Simfographics are available in English, but will be made available in other languages in the future.

Posters: Larger versions of our Simfographics are available for purchase in a variety of sizes. Click here to purchase.

Flipbook: A handy, pocket-size reference version of all Simfographics are available for purchase. Click here to purchase.

Healthcare Simulation Standards Print Copy: A printed copy of the full text of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice, including the Preamble, all 10 standards, and a Glossary, is available for purchase. Click here to purchase.

History of the Healthcare Simulation Standards

Click here to learn more about the history of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice®.

Citations of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® 

As the copyright owner of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice, INACSL welcomes you to cite and use the Healthcare Simulation Standards in your presentations and publications by using the following citations:

Watts, P., Rossler, K., Bowler, F., Miller, C., Charnetski, M., Decker, S., Molloy, M., Persico, L., McMahon, E., McDermott, D., Hallmark, B. (2021).  Preamble.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.006. 

INACSL Standards Committee, Hallmark, B., Brown, M., Peterson, D., Fey, M., Decker, S., Wells-Beede, E., Britt, T., Hardie, L., Shum, C., Arantes, H., Charnetski, M., & Morse, C.  (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Professional Development.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.007. 

INACSL Standards Committee, McDermott, D., Ludlow, J., Horsley, E., & Meakim, C. (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Prebriefing: Preparation and Briefing.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.008.

INACSL Standards Committee, Watts, P.I, McDermott, D.S., Alinier, G., Charnetski, M., Ludlow, J., Horsley, E., Meakim, C., & Nawathe, P. (2021). Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Simulation Design. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.009.

INACSL Standards Committee, Persico, L., Belle, A., DiGregorio, H., Wilson-Keates, B., & Shelton, C.  (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Facilitation.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.010.

INACSL Standards Committee, Decker, S., Alinier, G., Crawford, S. B., Gordon, R. M., Jenkins, D., & Wilson, C. (2021). Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® The Debriefing Process.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.011.

INACSL Standards Committee, Charnetski, M., & Jarvill, M.  (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Operations.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.012.

INACSL Standards Committee, Miller, C., Deckers, C., Jones, M., Wells-Beede, E., & McGee, E.  (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Outcomes and Objectives. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.013.

INACSL Standards Committee, Bowler, F., Klein, M., & Wilford, A. (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Professional Integrity.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.014.

INACSL Standards Committee, Rossler, K., Molloy, M., Pastva, A., Brown, M., & Xavier, N. (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Simulation-Enhanced Interprofessional Education.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.015.

INACSL Standards Committee, McMahon, E., Jimenez, F. A., Lawrence, K., & Victor, J.  (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Evaluation of Learning and Performance.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.016.

INACSL Standards Committee, Molloy, M., Holt, J., Charnetski, M., & Rossler, K. (2021). Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice® Simulation Glossary. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.017.

INACSL Standards Committee. (2021).  Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice®.  Clinical Simulation in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.018.