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Innovation in artificial intelligence for healthcare education
Coventry University and industry partner PCS Spark are at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence ( AI ) technology for voice-enabled avatars . These virtual patients can be used in healthcare simulations to support students in the practice of clinical interviewing , assessment , reasoning and treatment planning .
This technology is web-based and can be accessed on a screen-based device or in a virtual reality headset for a more immersive experience .
This pioneering research was the first to design an interprofessional virtual patient capable of conversing with paramedics , geriatric medicine , diagnostic radiography , nursing , operating department practitioners , occupational therapists , physiotherapists and social work students .
The prototype was displayed as a poster at the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare National Conference , and research plans were presented at the International Conference on Interactive Mobile Communication in November 2023 .
A live demonstration of the updated resource will be presented at next month ’ s RCOT Annual Conference .
‘ A lot has changed in the world of AI since we started this journey ,’ says lead researcher Juliana Samson . ‘ Generative AI , such as ChatGPT , have revolutionised the way conversational AI is designed and our industry software developers were ready to move with the rapid pace of change .’
The prototype underwent a major upgrade when the PCS Spark team developed a bespoke generative AI model . Coventry ’ s co-creation workshops , which ran in February , provided the opportunity to test this new form of AI , pre-market release .
Technologists , students , academics , and practice partners across several professions attended the session , and the performance of the new model did not disappoint . The potential of this new technology was clear from the first trial .
‘ The old model took over 100 hours of painstaking work to build the content and train , yet this first draft took just 30 minutes to prompt and is much easier to edit ,’ adds Juliana . ‘ The responsiveness and conversational fluency of this new model renders the old technology obsolete .’
Students , academics , and NHS practice partners from occupational therapy and physiotherapy across the UK met in May to test and shape the next iteration of the virtual patient . The output will be a learning activity in which students from both courses collaborate in the management of frailty care .
Development of the case scenario is ongoing , and Juliana invites RCOT members to get in touch and arrange a one-hour online meeting with her . Engagement with therapists to ensure that the scenario reflects real life practice is key to the effective design of this resource . Contact Juliana by email juliana . samson @ coventry . ac . uk .
Juliana Samson
Drone footage and timelapse show construction of first NHS National Rehabilitation Centre continues at pace
Construction of the first NHS National Rehabilitation Centre – a 70-bed purpose-built facility near Loughborough – continues to progress at a pace , newly-released drone footage shows , with the concrete frame of the building almost complete .
The £ 105 million NRC project aims to transform rehabilitation care , research and training in the UK , and is due to open to patients next year .
This specialist facility combines NHS care with research and innovation from two academic partners – the University of Nottingham and Loughborough University – and is part of the government ’ s New Hospital Programme .
The Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate near Loughborough , already home to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre , which opened in 2018 , was carefully selected as the site for the NRC to bring together these two centres of excellence and drive rehabilitation standards both nationally and internationally .
The construction is being carried out by IHP , a joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine . Drone footage shows the five main pavilions of the ground floor of the NRC – facilities management , the café and staff area , the innovation and education pavilion , patient zone and research pavilion , and the main gym and therapy space .
The latest footage also shows the progress of the first and second floors which are nearing completion – these will house the south-facing patient bedrooms overlooking the Leicestershire countryside , as well as some treatment spaces .
Find out more about the construction of the NRC at https :// bit . ly / 3Ue8LI2 .
May 2024 OTnews 11