Second-year student Andrew Green participated in two different virtual reality demonstrations . He said he didn ’ t think the simulations were a substitute for working with human-patient simulators but can present a realistic experience for how students should interact with patients .
“ Before we get out on rotations and we are put more into the reallife scenarios , this can give us additional practice without having to coordinate the use of standardized patients ,” he said .
Patton said that virtual reality simulation has the capability to provide environments that human-patient simulators can ’ t . For example , students can be placed in an environment where they triage a patient in a helicopter , or they are on a street treating patients from a mass-casualty car explosion . In virtual reality , the patient can move around , show expressions , move extremities , wiggle their toes or fingers , or puff out their cheeks .
“ The technology automatically recognizes when vitals , like blood pressure or pulse , are assessed , when the correct dose of medication is administered , and when procedures or tests are completed . SimX utilizes an EHR [ electronic health record ] in the cases as well , so you can view the patient history , medications , and allergies along with active orders , labs , and imaging results ,” she said . “ When students order medication , labs , imaging or other procedures , the EHR will automatically update those orders during the case scenario .”
With the purchase of SimX technology , the variety of case scenarios available to students runs the gamut from routine clinic visits to multi-trauma cases , and from basic assessments to postoperative ICU cases . More than 150 scenarios , more than 30 different environments , and more than 300 tools and procedures can be incorporated into the virtual reality technology , according to Patton .
Linda Boyd , D . O ., WVSOM ’ s vice president for academic affairs and dean , understands the importance of simulated health scenarios in medical education . She said she is excited that WVSOM continues to implement alternative learning methods for its future physicians .
“ The SimX virtual reality technology takes simulation to a new level . What I love is that you can see the entire environment , the hospital room , the patient , and , very importantly , the family members ,” Boyd said . “ Since medicine is much more than just giving the right drugs and doing the right tests , being able to interact in a realistic and complex scenario is valuable for medical students learning their craft .”
Image : Pat Bauserman / WVSOM WVSOM students and faculty use new virtual reality simulation that will allow instructors to provide various health scenarios through distance learning .
West Virginia Medical Journal • December 2021 • 37