From Data to Decisions: Elevating Your Sim Centre into a Data-Driven Smart Centre

1. Introduction

Sim centres play a critical role in advancing healthcare education, yet demonstrating their return on investment (ROI) remains a challenge, especially in resource-constrained environments. Leadership teams increasingly require data-driven evidence to support continued investment. At the Aga Khan University’s Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (AKU-CIME), with campuses in Karachi and Nairobi, a robust data tracking framework is implemented using an integrated Asset Management and Venue Booking System to quantify usage, justify operational needs, and inform strategic planning.

2. Description

A comprehensive data collection approach was adopted, capturing utilization metrics across six domains: venue usage, simulation and equipment usage, user profiles, booking trends, booking cancellations, and simulation consumables. Venue utilization was tracked by total hours, occupancy percentages, and departmental distribution, along with time-based patterns. Simulation and equipment usage data included frequency, duration, availability rates, and breakdown by user groups. Booking trends and seasonal fluctuations were analyzed, identifying shifts in demand. Cancellation data provided insight into planning inefficiencies, while consumables tracking added cost-awareness to simulation delivery. These data sets were synthesized into dashboards and quarterly utilization reports used for financial reviews, stakeholder engagement, and operational optimization.

3. Discussion

This data-driven model enabled AKU-CIME to translate operational statistics into compelling narratives that demonstrated institutional value, training capacity, and efficiency. The insights informed decisions around scheduling, resource allocation, and investment in new technologies. Notably, the analysis highlighted underutilized assets and peak usage patterns, allowing for better planning and cost management. The initiative also helped shift leadership perception—positioning the sim centre not just as a cost centre, but as a performance-oriented, impact-driven unit. This presentation shares the model, lessons learned, and a practical framework for other sim centres aiming to use utilization data to strengthen their strategic positioning and demonstrate ROI.

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