Daryl Lazaro Hawkins from Barry’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences recently attended a four-day simulation workshop in Raleigh, N.C, where she participated in a pre-conference hackathon competition. The competition was part of the 2017 SimGHOSTS Simulation Conference.
A Hackathon, or “hackfest,” is a design sprint-like event in which creative, technical and subject matter experts come together to build an innovative project to address a common problem. Hackathons typically last between a day and a week and are usually intended for educational, social or industry wide purposes.
Industry experts lead teams covering key domains for health care, simulation, business, hardware manufacturing, software development, and moulage in identifying simulation industry-wide challenges, and help to hack an innovative solution. During the event, multiple teams worked together and created a solution.
Hawkins participated with other health care professionals from California and Canada to create a low-cost, anatomically correct solution for a cricothyrotomy task trainer. The team created a 3-D printed model that allowed for correct anatomical landmarks for cricothyrotomy insertion.
Additionally, the team found that most trainers do not allow for the realistic movement of the trachea when using a dilator during insertion. The 3-D printed model allowed for movement of this area to increase the realism of the task trainer. Hawkins’ team won first place for their design for the Hackathon.
