From the time we’re kids to adults, we practice how to do things. We practice and learn how to tie our shoes, how to jump rope, how to drive stick shift, how to hit a golf ball and everything in between.
The act of practicing is perhaps most important and beneficial in the healthcare industry, where medical professionals perform lifesaving interventions and treatments for patients in surgery and emergency departments.
Lifesaving Skills
There are specific lifesaving procedures in emergency medicine that doctors and nurses rarely get the opportunity to perform, and yet they must always be ready to perform them when a case arises.
Cricothyrotomy, a procedure which creates a secure airway by making an incision in a patient’s neck and inserting a plastic tube, requires quick and accurate movements. When performed correctly, the procedure can save a life. If a mistake is made, a patient’s life may be lost. Other lifesaving skills required by medical emergency professionals are placement of central line and intraosseous catheters and intubation.
Simulation to the Rescue
The past 10 years have seen an explosion in the use of simulation, or virtual reality (VR) medicine, which have assisted physicians in preparing to perform lifesaving procedures and engage in challenging situations related to patient care. From hospital training programs to residency programs, medical staff have begun to fully embrace simulation as an effective means of educating new doctors and keeping skills sharp for rarely-performed procedures.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR, has traditionally been taught on mannequins in a classroom setting with instructors demonstrating the proper technique and form. Newer digital approaches to learning CPR have involved online learning with integration of test taking. While this modern approach offers convenience to the student, it rarely offers practical, real-world situations.
But, thanks to virtual reality, medical students can now experience real-world clinical situations where tensions are heightened and quick analysis and rapid thinking are required.
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It’s Not Just for Gamers
Virtual reality got its start in the world of gaming, but experts are now predicting the technology has far-reaching possibilities in the education sector.
Mary Spio, CEO of Next Galaxy, a company which develops innovative content solutions and consumer virtual reality technology, believes VR is poised to be the new go-to medium for education and dissemination of information.
Next Galaxy is currently developing “a next-generation fully-immersive entertainment and educational social virtual reality platform featuring a combination of live action and 3D experiences,” which Spio hopes will better educate and prepare healthcare providers.
In fact, Next Galaxy is working with Miami Children’s Hospital to develop virtual reality medical instructional content that will teach CPR and other lifesaving procedures. Learning modules will be available on smartphones and tablets.
Besides using virtual reality to instruct physicians, VR can also be used to educate patients on certain procedures they may undergo. Often patients don’t fully realize what occurs during a procedure, but VR allows them to view the procedure beforehand.
“They become more responsible for their own healing and treatment by having a deeper understanding,” Spio said.
The possibilities of the use of virtual reality in medical education are almost endless. “Virtual reality represents the highest form of learning, essentially because you are immersed in the task and actually doing it,” Spio said.
