The ONPACE Training System

The Chamberlain Group, in collaboration with University of Nebraska Medical Center, designed The ONPACE Training System to teach correct swabbing technique. Learners can practice in a safe and repeatable environment before they work with patients. Supervisors can see the trajectory of the swab during practice. Both parties receive confirmation of correct swab insertion and contact with the anatomical target at the back of the nasopharynx by an indicator light in the forehead of The ONPACE Trainer.

  • Correct oral and nasal pharyngeal swabbing indicated with green light signal.
  • Interchangeable normal and deviated septa included for anatomical variation.
  • Tonsillar pillar has separate swabbing capability with blue light signal.
  • Access to clinical didactic video developed by UNMC available with purchase.

PRESS RESOURCES

Press Release (pdf)

TCG Product video (teaser)

UNMC ONPACE video

Journal of the American Medical Association article explaining the importance of performing a COVID swab properly

Nasopharyngeal swabbing – collecting a specimen in the nose or throat – continues to be the standard of care to test for COVID-19.  But incorrect technique can produce false negative results and can also injure patients.  The Chamberlain Group and The University of Nebraska Medical Center, under the auspices of their iEXCEL Davis Global Center, have created an advanced anatomical trainer to help improve the skills of those performing the swabs.

The Chamberlain Group has been designing, developing and manufacturing anatomical trainers for medical device development and clinical education for more than two decades.

“When we were faced with this pandemic, we realized that millions of frontline workers
were having to learn a procedure that they had never done before . . .” said Christie Barnes, MD, assistant professor and rhinologist in the UNMC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. “The key to a proper nasopharyngeal swab involves the direction and depth of the swab being inserted and The ONPACE Trainer helps to solidify those key aspects. We are committed to ensuring our frontline swabbers are equipped to do the procedure well and are excited at the potential this development will have for patients nationally and internationally.”

The Chamberlain Group along with UNMC’s Dr. Barnes, her colleague Jayme Dowdall, MD, and Ben Stobbe, iEXCEL assistant vice chancellor for clinical simulation, worked swiftly to create The ONPACE Training System in response to the evolving global pandemic. The anatomically-accurate model is based on CT scan data and mimics structures and tissues of the oral and nasal cavities. Learners can practice swabbing techniques in a safe and repeatable environment before they work with patients. Their supervisors can see the trajectory of the swab during practice. Both parties receive confirmation of correct swab insertion and contact with the anatomical target at the back of the nasopharynx by an indicator light in the forehead of The ONPACE Trainer.

“In early 2020, COVID-19 swab training was done on airway models UNMC had on hand,” Stobbe said, “but trainers wanted a more advanced teaching tool. The new ONPACE one-of-a-kind, portable trainer is the most sophisticated and realistic available. It also is designed to train for testing of infections such as strep throat, flu, and to diagnose some ENT issues.” UNMC ENT faculty have created an accompanying didactic video utilizing The ONPACE Training System to teach proper swabbing.

The Chamberlain Group is manufacturing, marketing, and distributing ONPACE, which can be used to train all health professionals in physician offices, hospitals, clinics, long term care facilities, retail pharmacy chains, and institutions that educate health professionals.

“ONPACE is packaged with educational and clinical expertise,” said Dr. Dowdall, assistant professor and laryngologist in the UNMC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. “With this model, we hope to get the most valid test results, with the most comfort to patients, while instilling confidence quickly to caring practitioners. We realized a simple procedure had a lot of chances for error. The trajectory of swabs we saw being performed on TV news, in addition to the reports from health professionals, told us we had an opportunity for education.”

To learn more about The ONPACE Training System or for purchasing inquiries please contact: The Chamberlain Group www.thecgroup.com, (413) 528-7744, info@thecgroup.com