The past, present and future of simulation-based medical education (SBME) in Pakistan: a short report

Simulation-based education has been widely implemented in fields such as the aviation industry and the military. Its applications to the field of healthcare education have started to show significant promise globally over the last few decades. Medical education institutions in Pakistan have relied primarily on traditional forms of didactic lectures, apprenticeship models and small-group clinical sessions for clinical skills education in medical schools. Despite this, simulation-based medical education centres have started to emerge in Pakistan over the last few years and have shown promising results. These centres provide a spectrum of simulation-based education courses, while also producing research on this relatively new teaching modality. The trajectory and outlook surrounding simulation-based medical education in Pakistan look promising, but there are some challenges, like financial constraints and lack of trained personnel. The current study was planned to compile a comprehensive catalogue of existing simulation-based education centres in Pakistan, and to describe the current landscape surrounding simulation-based medical education.