C001854 Purchase of High-Fidelity Endoscopy Simulators

Tender description

Endoscopy training in Scotland has been a cause for concern for some considerable time. The reduction in normal clinical activity during the COVID19 pandemic and the slow pace of remobilisation of such services in the face of a second wave of infection has thrown this issue even more into the spotlight. Access to clinical endoscopy lists seems to be a particular issue for adult medical, adult surgical and nurse endoscopy trainees. High fidelity simulators allow trainees to practice both upper and lower GI endoscopy without the need to access patients. They are ideal for allowing trainees to gain the necessary skills, particularly those at an early stage in their training, before having to undertake endoscopy in patients. The simulators should consist of both mechanical parts and software that simulates the endoscopy procedure using endoscopic images whilst the trainee uses a scope that is attached to a processor. The moves of the scope should interact with the monitor image providing a virtual environment for practising theoretical and practical knowledge. They should replicate the look and feel of the content that is being taught and have the ability to both distinguish between a novice and an expert operator (ie, construct validity) and predict competence in the endoscopy suite upon completion of simulator training (ie, predictive validity).