Skill Labs for Safer Patient Treatment | University of Debrecen

The national skill lab network was established by the National Healthcare Service Center, and the universities of Debrecen, Pécs and Szeged.
At the skill laboratories doctors, healthcare professionals and medical students can practice patient care in a real-life environment. At UD, practical education is performed at the Department of Operative Techniques and Surgical Research and at the Center for Medical Simulation.
- Skill labs support the improvement of the performance of interventions and of basic medical competencies from injection technique to situations that require medical team work. Teams can practice on a patient simulator at ICU. In the laboratories, students can acquire basic surgical skills like vessel catheterization, use arthroscopic and endoscopic simulators, and have access to equipment for practicing securing respiratory tracts and arteries. Ultrasound diagnostic devices are also installed in the labs – Norbert Németh, head of the project, vice dean for educational affairs of the Faculty of Medicine of UD told hirek.unideb.hu. 
Students, healthcare professionals and residents can gain experience and become familiar with cutting-edge technology in the framework of the project. They can improve their skills and competencies. The purpose of the project is to enhance patient safety and the efficiency of the education of healthcare professionals.
- This project is a historical event in the medical education in Hungary. Students can acquire and improve various skills in the labs to do their job well beside the patient bed. State-of-the-art simulation devices also allow doctors to practice and improve – pointed out László Mátyus, dean of the Faculty of Medicine of UD.
The project, which was launched in 2017, has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund with HUF 13.5  billion. The skill centres at the universities of Debrecen, Pécs and Szeged have received over HUF 2 billion for equipment, and about HUF 196 million for IT devices and software. Around HUF 1 billion has been invested in the University of Debrecen. More than 17.000 people have participated in the simulation training so far.
-    In the integration process that started in January 2021, education plays an important part. The Faculty of Medicine and the Clinical Centre has cooperated for years in order to provide medical students with high-quality education. Skill labs serve the same purpose. Students can acquire practical skills in a state-of-the-art technological environment – explained Zoltán Szabó, head of the Clinical Centre.