VIRTUAL / AUGMENTED REALITY
SMITH + NEPHEW ACADEMY EXPANDS GLOBAL ACCESS TO MEDICAL EDUCATION THROUGH VIRTUAL REALITY
Smith + Nephew , the global medical technology company , has announced it is expanding the reach of its medical education curriculum through a suite of advanced simulation technologies . Healthcare professionals can now conveniently access core orthopaedic , robotics and sports medicine procedural skills training using Virtual and Augmented Reality , haptics and 3D interactive gaming at every Smith + Nephew Academy around the world .
Healthcare professionals are universally acknowledging the benefits that simulation technology can deliver as part of their continuous education journey . Reinforcing procedural , psychomotor and cognitive skills by simulating a surgeon ' s decision-making process delivers an immersive learning experience that traditional training methods cannot match .
Mr . Stephen Mitchell , Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recently led a hip fracture management course for Smith + Nephew using Virtual Reality .
" There is a huge opportunity with Virtual Reality for future training applications to drive both an accelerated learning process and distance training ," he said . " It lends itself perfectly to the 2D / 3D nature of trauma , arthroscopy and arthroplasty procedures ."
Recent randomised controlled trials have generated data which indicates that Virtual Reality training programmes can be a more effective modality of learning orthopaedic surgical techniques compared to passive learning tools , such as a standard guide training . The training groups completed their assessments faster , with a higher Global Rating Score , and demonstrated greater retention with higher scores upon re-testing at two weeks .
A recent Smith + Nephew survey for participants in a Virtual Reality training course concluded that they felt the workshop increased their surgical procedure knowledge and better prepared them for the cadaveric lab because of the instrumentation walkthrough . When asked if they would like to see more Virtual Reality sessions as part of future medical educational programmes , 90 % of the participants responded ‘ yes ’.
" Central to Smith + Nephew ' s commitment to being a global leader in medical education and improving patient outcomes is providing a state-of-the-art , interactive learning environment tailored to the needs of the healthcare professional ," said Cindy Walker , Senior Vice President of Global Medical Education for Smith + Nephew . " With Smith + Nephew Academy , we are actively transforming the way we educate our customers around the world by surrounding them with leading-edge technology , clinical content and scientific data ." �
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