31 research outputs found
©Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons Sources of Support:
Surgical simulators with force feedback are available commercially to assist surgeons in acquiring and practicing the technical skills necessary for videoendoscopic surgery. These simulators are currently being validated to establish their efficacy in surgical training programs. Early results demonstrate that both surgical proficiency and safety are improved. 2 2 The learning of the fundamentals of laparoscopic procedures by surgical trainees has improved with todayâs surgical simulators. These simulation devices range from simple, homemade boxes to sophisticated systems mimicking operating tables with plastic manikins or virtual patients. First-generation systems utilized physical objects (such as cotton string, pegs, latex tubes, and rings) to teach the basic psychomotor coordination actions necessary for laparoscopic surgery. Some of these systems offer electronic metrics. Other members of this group are computer-based and afford virtual images and instruments projected onto monitors/displays. Second-generation devices take advantage of the huge computational advances in graphical representation of tissue
Learning medicine through collaboration and action: collaborative, experiential, networked learning environments
Exploring Virtual Worlds for Scenario-Based Repeated Team Training of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Medical Students
In medicine, education and recurrent training is fundamental for efficient and safe care. In
emergency situations one has to rely on robust protocols that reduce the risk for errors.
However, today there is plenty of evidence that the professional level of knowledge, manual,
cognitive and teamwork skills as well as suitable attitudes needs to be raised. By using new and
promising educational technology it has been proposed that one can address several problems in
todayâs education and training. So far, in medicine there havenât been many results on whether
gaming technology supports learning although findings from several authors are encouraging.
One area of particular interest is that of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), since all health
care professionals are assumed to possess competence in this field. To disseminate the
knowledge and skills, with the goal of reaching better outcome after out-of-hospital sudden
cardiac arrests, CPR is also trained at schools.
With the rapid development in information and communications technology (ICT) and the
increase in computer access and skills in a digital native generation, the stage is set for âserious
gamesâ. By using cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a model, the aim of this thesis project has
been to understand if a virtual world is suitable for training medical and high school students to
assist in emergency medical situations.
A virtual world with capabilities to train teamwork CPR was developed. Short scenario based
training sessions using a virtual school environment was carried out in teams. In study I and II
user experiences and reactions were assessed from a social cognitive and games research
perspective. The findings in terms of strengthened self-efficacy beliefs and positive ratings on
dimensions of âflowâ experience indicated that this tool could engage the subjects and carried
properties important for learning and execution. Results from Swedish and US high schools
were comparable. Study III was a transfer study in which virtual world pre-trained groups were
assessed and compared to control subjects in a full-scale high fidelity patient simulator, 6 and
18 months after virtual world CPR team training. Main findings in this study indicated that
subjects trained 6 months before simulator assessment delivered higher quality CPR in terms of
chest compressions, and followed the CPR protocol better than the other groups. In study IV
the aim was to get a more complete picture of how the virtual world CPR team training was
perceived by the participants and compare the findings with theories on learning and serious
games. Using a qualitative approach, four categories evolved as end result. The findings support
many of the proposed benefits of serious games, such as high levels of enjoyment and
engagement. Further, learning in teams is beneficial for several reasons. However, there are
areas that call for some caution. It can be questioned if a sense of mastery created in a virtual
world easily transfers to the real world. Also, not all students are enchanted by computers and
computer games â when establishing training in virtual worlds one has to consider the level of
computer interest among the users. To evoke the proposed positive effects of virtual world
training, one has to meet the demands this game derived method poses in terms of high levels of
challenge, proximal goal-setting, affective involvement and rich feed-back.
Although being exploratory to its nature, the results from this project demonstrate possibilities
within virtual worlds for training in teams. Being accessible, relatively inexpensive to run and
rich in variations, virtual worlds based training can be motivated in a variety of settings within
medicine