Low-cost breathing simulator for medical training
Principal Investigator: Caitlin Howell, UMaine Dept. of Chemical and Bioengineering
Partners: Qian Xue, UMaine Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Robert Bowie, Down East Emergency Medicine Institute, Valerie Herber, UMaine School of Nursing; Denham Ward & Micheline Chipman, Hannaford Simulation Center
Abstract: The use of simulations to train doctors and nurses is of growing importance in the medical community. In this work, we will design and optimize a low-cost, adaptable breathing and auscultation simulator based on clinical data and quantitative fluid-flow modeling. This work will be a collaboration between Dr. Caitlin Howell of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Dr. Qian Xue of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Valerie Herbert of the Department of Nursing at the University of Maine, Dr. Robert Bowie, MD at the Down East Emergency Medical Institute (DEEMI), and Dr. Denham Ward and Ms. Micheline Chipman, educators at the Simulation Center in Portland, Maine. The support requested here will be used to support a Biological Engineering student to build skillsets in medical simulation technologies in preparation for a career in biomedical engineering. The immediate result will be proof-of-concept for a new approach to creating low-cost medical simulations. The longer-term results will be the establishment of a working collaboration between UMaine Engineering and Nursing together with DEEMI and the Hannaford Simulation Center, which will provide a future pipeline for Maine workforce development and competitiveness in the growing field of simulation technologies for rural and underserved areas. This will lay the foundations to support student-led start-up companies, facilitate student job placement in established companies, and increase Maine’s competitiveness for NIH and other medical funding