Virtual reality trains nurses

The Lausanne University of Applied Sciences La Source uses virtual reality to train nurses. The technology comes from Ubisim, a spin-off of the ETH Lausanne. The partnership has potential.

Just the day before yesterday we launched the project Vireed Med which is intended to train doctors and other health professionals. Now a Swiss VR project is also making headlines, but it specialises in nursing.

Ubisima spin-off of the EPF Lausanne, has developed a training programme for healthcare professionals. The highlight: with the help of virtual reality (VR), future professionals should be able to gain experience. The start-up from Western Switzerland has now been able to win an important partner for its VR application. The Lausanne vocational school Institut et Haute Ecole de la Santé La Source added the Ubisim VR application to its training offer, as reported by ICTjournal.

Prepare for new complications

Professors and students at the institute had worked closely with the start-up to adapt the software to the requirements of the training. Course participants are currently using the VR application to learn practices such as blood transfusions, Dominique Truchot-Cardot, vice dean of the institute, told ICTjournal.

The application should complement the theoretical and practical components of the training. The aim is to reduce the risk of nursing errors. The participants could use the VR application to act out scenarios in which rare complications occur that require the nurses to react quickly.

The first surveys speak for themselves: 95% of users said they felt better prepared after using the application.

Where the journey goes

Ubisim is working on opening up further areas of application for its software. The start-up will continue its cooperation with La Source, but is also looking for other partners.

For its part, the university of applied sciences wants to further develop its training offer. "We plan to offer virtual courses that revolve around clinical evaluation and data transmissions - both areas are becoming key competencies for nursing education," Truchot-Cardot told ICTjournal.

What the VR application looks like for the trainee nurses is shown in a video by La Source University of Applied Sciences:

Source: Netzwoche / Youtube