VA Virtual Medical Center Showcased

In the last decade, virtual medical simulation has grown in importance and is now spreading into the private sector. Innovation led by companies using experience gained in military and governmental healthcare programmes now forms a springboard from which further development is leaping forward.

At I/ITSEC 2016 in Orlando this week Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) is showcasing a series of medical simulations focused on increasing healthcare access while containing costs, enhancing skills and improving patient-doctor communications. Three specific virtual medical simulations being featured, developed for the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA,) are:

·         Clinical Skills: military medical professionals fresh from the operational frontier practice their skills with patients in an immersive clinical environment;

·         Crash Cart Countdown: training to locate contents of emergency crash carts (which vary significantly according to location) ensures familiarity and improves response times in real medical emergencies;

·         Goals of Care Conversations: interactive, personal simulation of critical conversations with seriously ill patients about their conditions, aimed at improving soft skills and fostering effects-oriented communication.

ECS will also be demonstrating the VA Virtual Medical Center, the first online member of the species designed to meet the health needs of both veterans and VA healthcare professionals.