The Faculty of Medicine of the UPV gets a virtual reality simulator for surgical practices

2007/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

The UPV/EHU Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry has installed a virtual reality simulator that allows students to practice venopunction. The UPV/EHU center is the first to get a simulator of these features statewide.

Using the CathSim AccuTouch System simulator, students can be trained from the skills necessary for the exercise of venous puncture to the knowledge about this therapy.

The computer program teaches the student several patients in a very realistic way. With these patients, the student can make the entire protocol of venopunction. The student must always use the appropriate tool in the appropriate order, otherwise the simulation will not be followed. In this way, the student must choose in the video the proper measurement of the needle, use the appropriate antiseptic technique and, using an injection device connected to the computer, puncture the vein at a certain angle. By inserting the needle you can see a resistance very similar to that of real patients. If the needle does not enter correctly, the virtual patient will explain the pain audibly.

Once completed, the system evaluates the exercise to know how students have done it, in order to improve the score in the following trials. These scores are collected in a database for teachers to assess student progress.