The Advanced Surgical Technology and Education Center (ASTEC) on the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus is the most technologically advanced surgery simulation facility in the region. The center provides surgeons, surgical residents and surgical teams unsurpassed real-time surgical training and education to improve skills, allow for observation and evaluation, and provide teambuilding opportunities to benefit patient care and safety.
The 10,000-square-foot ASTEC facility, which opened in June 2014, combines a classroom and a large centralized skills training area with a high-fidelity operating room environment, including pre-operative and post-anesthesia care unit bays, two functional endoscopic ORs and state-of-the-art observation and recording capabilities.
Other essential equipment includes instrumentation for standard open and laparoscopic surgeries, laparoscopic/endoscopic physical and virtual reality trainers, high-fidelity, interactive mannequins and robotic simulators.
The Center's primary goal is to optimize the care of patients and minimize adverse outcomes through simulation-based education and training. Continued improvements in efficiency and quality are also expected as surgical teams hone their skills to become even more effective work teams.
The skills acquisition and team building garnered through a surgical simulation center such as ASTEC are proven to help enhance patient safety and are encouraged by patient outcomes and safety organizations such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
ASTEC is available to clinicians from all Inova hospitals as well as to surgeons and surgical teams and students from throughout the region. Targeted users include:
ASTEC is proud to be a comprehensive American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institute (ACS-AEI). Initially received in 2014, ASTEC maintains its accreditation by demonstrating a high standard of education and training of surgical teams through adherence to the ACS-AEI accreditation criteria. Holding this accreditation is a high distinction, as ASTEC is one of only 96 ACS-Accredited Education Institutes world-wide.
The ASTEC on the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus has been recognized by Becker's Hospital Review in its 2023 list of hospitals and health systems with great simulation and education programs.
ASTEC is committed to continually developing and improving via education and simulation. Having simulation and education programs improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs and enhance patient safety with cutting-edge technologies, lifelike scenarios and safe environments that build provider confidence through practical application.
According to Becker's, "hospitals and health systems with simulation and education programs see improved patient outcomes, reduced healthcare costs and enhanced patient safety." They select programs that "offer cutting-edge technologies, lifelike scenarios and safe environments that build provider confidence through practical application."
