system records, through computer logs, each student’s performance on preparing cavities, thereby providing feedback to the student and tutor on how much decayed material has been removed, how much healthy tooth has been retained, whether the student has ‘drilled’ through to the pulp and so on.” Te developers envisage a time when workstations will be available to students in a university library, thus allowing them to hone their skills in their own time. Tere is also a clear potential for use in assessment as well as, for example, dentists returning to the profession aſter an absence. Currently only drilling is on the virtual menu, but the team believes more advanced dental treatments such as filling a cavity, performing crown and bridge work and administering an injection are future possibilities. In fact, the technology for administering virtual injections is already available. Virtual Veins, developed by UK Haptics, allows users to learn and practise the skills needed for venepuncture and other IV procedures in many different types of patients, complete with a realistic 'pop' feedback when the needle is correctly inserted in the vein. Te simulator, which is currently being trialled in the NHS Blood & Transplant unit, also provides metrics to allow performance to be measured and the firm’s MD, Gary Todd, expects it to be on the market early next year. Away from hands-on aspects of medical and dental practice, virtual reality is also starting to make its presence felt in the areas of diagnosis, patient management and team- working scenarios.
Medical avatars
At Imperial College London, the Faculty of Medicine has been developing a region in the online game Second Life where students can practise patient management in a virtual
AUTUMN 2011
ward. Te game attempts to mimic all the realities of patient management – even to the point where doctors can’t gain access to the patients if they haven’t washed their hands. Te student’s avatar can move around, locate a patient, see their notes, click for signs and symptoms, perhaps listen to breath sounds and order investigations. Te results of these investigations, which might include real X-ray images and ECG tracings, then enable the student to make a final diagnosis. At each step, note cards will inform the student if they are right or wrong and offer additional feedback to support the learning. Maria Toro-Troconis, who developed the game-based platform, has said that they are looking at the possibility of partnerships with other colleges across the country: “It would be great to have different people interacting and communicating in one online game and we have plans to do that with other medical schools.”
In another game-based example, the games firm TruSim has developed Patient Rescue, in collaboration with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. Te game aims to teach young doctors to recognise the signs of patient deterioration (in this case from hypovolaemia, hypoxia or sepsis), use set protocols to assess a patient’s condition and intervene effectively.
Te game automatically generates a new patient each time, with different signs and symptoms, and the player’s task is to use the assessment tools to determine the correct intervention to stabilise the patient's condition and keep them from dying. Mary Matthews, TruSim’s business development director, says that what trainers particularly liked was that the game could be used for assessment as well as training. “Because the game tracks every move the trainee makes, you are able to see where they are going wrong and which units they need to redo. Also, if everybody is having problems with one particular unit then you may want to look at the teaching of that particular unit.” Despite the positive response to the game, says Matthews, TruSim is currently looking for investment to take it further, adding to the number of medical conditions. Hinting at perhaps another stumbling block beyond technological limitations, she suggests it is probably only when members of the Xbox generation reach the decision-making levels of the health services that games like these will be fully exploited. Either way, it won’t be long before the electron glow of VR simulation arrives at a healthcare training facility near you.
nAdam Campbell is a freelance journalist and regular contributor to MDDUS publications
13
PHOTOGRAPH: UK HAPTICS
PHOTOGRAPH: PH. PLAILLY/EURLIOS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
PHOTOGRAPH: KING'S COLLEGE LONDON
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24