The Advanced Educational Simulation Center opens in Lecce. A collaboration between the University and the Local Health Authority that aims to increase patient safety and improve care, following ministerial guidelines for a more effective and safe healthcare system.
For over twenty years, scientific literature and direct experience have shown that learning by doing promotes greater understanding and memorization compared to traditional teaching methods. This change has led to a radical transformation in the teaching paradigm, moving from a teacher-centered and lecture-based approach to a more interactive and participatory one. Today’s students and teachers expect simulation laboratories to be part of healthcare training. And to meet these expectations, on February 12th the University of Salento inaugurated the new Advanced Didactic Simulation Center, offering medical students a highly realistic and safe learning environment in which to refine their clinical and decision-making skills.
Advanced technology for immersive learning
The Center is equipped with the latest technology, from adult patient simulators to specific devices for teaching invasive procedures such as the placement of venous and bladder catheters, as well as advanced software for the simulation of clinical cases.
According to Fabio Pollice, the Rector of the University of Salento, the new Center represents not only an educational innovation, but also the first step towards the creation of a modular structure inspired by emergency hospital models. “This project,” says Pollice, “will make Lecce a training center for health emergencies, with a significant impact at a national and international level.”
Safer healthcare in line with ministerial guidelines
The establishment of this center also responds to the recommendations of the Technical Committee set up by the Ministry of Health to promote the use of simulation in healthcare. The national strategic document emphasizes how simulation is an essential tool for improving the quality of care and patient safety, reducing clinical risk through more effective and standardized training for healthcare professionals. The adoption of this methodology is part of the ministerial guidelines that aim to integrate simulation into training and professional development courses.
Luisa Siculella, professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Salento, emphasizes the importance of this initiative for the training of current and future healthcare professionals. “The Center,” she explains, “will not only be a point of reference for students, but also a research and development hub for companies in the sector, which will be able to test and promote new medical devices.”
Not just the university: the strategic partners
The Local Health Authority of Lecce also contributed to the project, providing the facilities of the Vito Fazzi Hospital. The General Manager, Stefano Rossi, emphasizes how advanced educational simulation is a concrete response to the growing need to train healthcare personnel to be ready to face the challenges of the profession from the very first days of clinical activity.
The Center was developed in collaboration with Accurate, a company of the Digit’Ed Group, a leader in the simulation industry both in Italy and abroad. Patrizia Angelotti, the company’s CEO, reiterates the project’s objective: “We are proud to be able to provide students with a cutting-edge environment to prepare them for future challenges, training a new generation of highly qualified and ethically responsible doctors”.
Conclusions
The opening of the Advanced Medical Simulation Center not only reinforces the prestige of the University of Salento as an institution of excellence in healthcare training, but also represents an essential step towards safer healthcare. This initiative combines innovation, teaching and research, making a concrete contribution to reducing clinical risk and improving the quality of patient care.
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