The Emotional Safety Summit II, hosted by ACLP in June 2023, fostered many new connections and opportunities to promote awareness and the importance of integrating emotional safety in healthcare. In attendance were representatives from the International Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research & Education (INSPIRE). Enthused by their experience at the summit, INSPIRE sought to bring awareness of emotional safety to their members and designated it as the theme of their next meeting. The ACLP Board of Directors President was invited to attend the day-long INSPIRE meeting in January 2024, held just prior to the 24^th annual scientific conference of the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) in San Diego, CA.

A highlight of the meeting was the dedicated time given to present about emotional safety within the realm of pediatric healthcare simulation. INSPIRE meeting co-chairs, Hilary Woodward, MS, CCLS, Amy Hanson, MD, and Normaliz Rodriguez, MD, FAAP shared the Emotional Safety Framework and provided relevant examples and supporting evidence. Subsequent small and large group discussions offered attendees an opportunity to brainstorm how emotional safety could be applied in their own setting or in future simulation-based research.

INSPIRE members also delivered Advanced Look Exploratory Research Template (ALERT) presentations about research in simulation, either new projects or those in-progress. This network of researchers is highly committed to improving pediatric care through simulation. The meeting was a great venue for attendees to network and gain insight from each other in scenarios commonly taught through simulation, including resuscitations, invasive medical procedures, and teaching patients and families. We look forward to seeing emotional safety and the expertise of child life specialists integrated into their future research endeavors.  

ACLP is eager to continue this collaborative relationship with INSPIRE to advance our shared mission of improving the lives of children and pediatric health through education and scientific inquiry.



Learn more about the Emotional Safety Initiative here.