As the population ages, the number of people in home care is on the rise. This has led to an increase in acute care situations in the home, along with a spike in calls to emergency call centers. But not all cases require an ambulance or urgent treatment: many can be safely handled by visiting care staff on their own so long as they have the proper training.
Seeking a cost-effective solution to this challenge, Duodecim teamed up with Glue to develop virtual training exercises for health care and elderly care practitioners. The goal was to turn training that’s difficult to deliver in real world scenarios into something that can be done well virtually.
To do this, Duodecim and Glue developed a true-to-life practice environment that allows staff to put on a VR headset, enter a custom-built Glue space, and safely learn and test their skills on a virtual patient.
The first major pilot of the new solution was conducted in 2020 together with the City of Helsinki. The innovative and cost-effective approach to training was well received by practitioners in the Finnish capital. Based on the questionnaire following the training for emergency situations, the results of utilizing virtual reality are very promising. More than 90% of the respondents found the VR training to be extremely useful, regardless of age group and work experience. The participants also felt that the training bolsters their competence in emergency situations as well as improves their consultation skills.
This latest initiative expands Glue and Duodecim’s ongoing collaboration as they demonstrate the efficacy of multi-user virtual collaboration in the healthcare space. The two organizations have already partnered on a virtual training solution that allows healthcare professionals to practice their skills in resuscitation, assessing an unconscious patient and initiating treatment.
