(Boston)–Two fourth-year medical students from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have been honored with the “Best Instructional Exhibit Award” for their scientific presentation, Falls From An Operating Room Table: A Patient Safety Educational Tool. The award was presented at the 72nd Post-Graduate Assembly in Anesthesiology in New York.
Students Alan Hsieh and Harsh Patel, along with Boston Medical Center (BMC) anesthesiology resident Melina Shoni, MD and Zachary Glicksman, MD, instructor of anesthesiology at BUSM, created an educational tool exploring the functionality of operating room tables and scenarios in which falls occur.
Although rare, falls from the operating room table can severely compromise patients’ safety and well-being, often leading to significant medical, professional, legal and financial consequences. Utilizing an innovative multimedia approach consisting of illustrations, animations and simulations, Hsieh and Patel developed a video to raise awareness about falls from the operating room table and provide strategies to mitigate these risks and prevent falls. It is the first video of its kind to serve as a concise and informative resource for health care providers concerned with patient safety in the operating room setting.
A native of Toronto, Canada, Hsieh received his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto. He served as class representative to the BUSM Student Advisory Committee, a leader of the REACH service learning group and is a peer advisor to first and second-year medical students.
Born in India, Patel was raised outside Philadelphia. He obtained his undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Boston University. He has held a leadership position in Pumpstart, a service learning group that educates local high school students about the importance of CPR.
Hsieh and Patel both plan to pursue careers in anesthesiology.
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Funding for this project was provided by BMC’s department of anesthesiology under the direction of Rafael Ortega, MD, professor and chair of anesthesiology at BUSM and chief of anesthesiology at BMC.
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