Selecting DIY versus Commercial Products

Advantages and Disadvantages to DIY Simulation #

Revised: November 2023

Contributors: Holly Sarvas, Meagan Vanderploeg

The intent of this website is to provide low-cost, low-barrier to entry, accessible, and relevant do-it-yourself skills modules for rural-remote nurses. DIY can be a great opportunity for starting continuing education on a ‘shoestring budget’.

• Advantages of DIY include (Ayers, 2023; Stapleton et al., 2022):

  • Typically more cost-effective,
  • Typically can get greater quantity of task trainers,
  • Cost of materials is typically less than a commercial alternative,
  • More adaptable or customizable
  • Specific learning objectives can be met
  • Can do different skin tones, different features, etc., and
  • Can cover objectives not present in commercial task trainers

     

• There are downfalls to DIY that also need to be acknowledged (Ayers, 2023):

  • Time-consuming for shipping and assembly
  • Some items may not ship to rural/remote areas
  • Room for error in assembly, leading to frustration and burn-out
  • Lack of realism comparative to commercial products, leading to reduced buy-in by learners

Therefore, healthcare educators and administrators need to make informed decisions on whether they purchase materials for DIY assembly, or purchase a commercial product. This will depend on accessible funding, time availability of staff, skill level of staff, and objectives that learners must meet.

Resources for selecting quality task trainers: #

• Suture/stapling: https://surgireal.com/blogs/news/comparing-high-quality-suture-pads-to-subpar-alternatives
• Wound care: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3495369/
• IV insertion: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0954411919864786
• IO insertion: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347754032_Development_and_Evaluation_of_a_3D-Printed_Adult_Proximal_Tibia_Model_for_Simulation_Training_in_Intraosseous_Access
• CPR: https://mymanikins.info/

It is important to note DIY task trainers use many materials across various task trainers. For example, the materials used for the SPRUCE-RN suture/staple pad can be easily adapted to the wound care models, the IV insertion pad, and vice versa. The same adaptability and cross-compatibility is not typically incorporated in commercial products.

That being said, your center may have concerns with shipping, assembly, time-management, or time to learning events, making the choice to buy a commercial product a better alternative than our DIY modules. We encourage you to be thoughtful in your decision on whether to buy commercial or assemble DIY, and if you choose commercial, to select a quality product. This website will not recommend specific products. If you have any questions concerning this page, we welcome you to email [email protected].

References #

Ayers, E. (2023, March 2021). Healthcare simulation task trainers, for the task at hand. Healthcaresimulation.com. https://www.healthysimulation.com/48413/using-healthcare-simulation-task-trainers/.

Stapleton, S. N., Cassara, M., Moadel, T., Munzer, B. W., Sampson, C., Wong, A. H., … & Bentley, S. (2022). Procedural task trainer gaps in emergency medicine: A rift in the simulation universe. AEM Education and Training, 6, S32-S42.