The History of Simulation and Its Impact on the Future

Simulation has had a long and varied history in many different fields, including aviation and the military. A look into the past to briefly touch on some of the major historical aspects of simulation in aviation, military, and health care will give readers a broader understanding of simulation’s historical roots and the relationship to patient safety. This review may also help predict what the future may hold for simulation in nursing. Health care, like aviation, is driven by safety, more specifically patient safety. As the link between simulation and patient safety becomes increasingly apparent, simulation will be adopted as the education and training method of choice for such critical behaviors as communication and teamwork skills.