Middlesex University has opted to use virtual reality headsets from Oxford Medical Simulation to recreate real-life scenarios that nurses would face.
The software recreate scenarios in a digital environment to help train and develop nurses. There are 20 different scenarios, including patients who have difficulty breathing, diabetes, COPD and severe allergies.
Dr Jack Pottle, Chief Medical Officer of Oxford Medical Simulation said “We learn best when learning from experience and our system will allow users at Middlesex to do just that – without putting patient’s lives at risk.”
The MDX School of Health and Education recently opened a simulation ward last year, which third year adult nursing and paediatric postgraduates are using the virtual wards with plans to make the learning available to midwifery students later in 2020.
Students are immersed into a fully interactive reality where they can ask patients questions to diagnose their condition and decide on the best treatment while making sure they follow certain procedures.
Fiona Suthers, Head of the Clinical Skills Department “Any simulation is only as good as the way it is debriefed so you have to use a very definitive evaluation tool led by experienced people which is embedded in the curriculum effectively.”
“Students can obtain the feedback, see how well they have performed and discuss the results after their own internal reflection, so learning can emerge through the actions that are right or wrong.”
“This technology is allowing students to make mistakes without repercussions. The students can feel empowered to make decisions that they wouldn’t feel comfortable making because can make mistakes safely and take more risks – which enhances their learning process.”
One of the simulations include a patient with Sepsis and the body’s physiological response to infection and clinical presentation.
Sarah Chitongo, a Midwifery Educator at Middlesex University, said: “Sepsis is one of the key scenarios because it is a time critical condition. You have an hour to ensure that the diagnosis is made and appropriate prescribed antibiotics are administered as every hour delay increases the patients mortality rate by 8%.”
“Sepsis destroys internal vital organs. One of the first clinical indications is looking at the patients clinical presentation. Sepsis patients will display visible signs and this technology recreates the typical indicators such as patches of discoloured skin, shivers, sleepy or difficult to rouse and shortness of breath.”
Dr Jack Pottle, chief Medical Officer of Oxford Medical Simulation “We have developed OMS because we believe that training healthcare professionals in a flexible, zero-risk environment will transform patient care around the world.”
“We learn best when learning from experience and our system will allow users at Middlesex to do just that – without putting patient’s lives at risk.”
