Simulation is the imitation or representation of one act or system by another. Healthcare simulations can be said to have four main purposes – education, assessment, research, and health system integration in facilitating patient safety.
Simulation education is a bridge between classroom learning and real-life clinical experience. Novices – and patients - may learn how to do injections by practicing on an orange with a real needle and syringe. Much more complex simulation exercises – similar to aviation curricula that provided the basis for healthcare – may rely on computerized mannequins that perform dozens of human functions realistically in a healthcare setting such as an operating room or critical care unit that is indistinguishable from the real thing.