Unique Medical Simulation in Second Life!

“We organize medical exercises and meetings at the Ann Myers Medical Center in Second Life. Now the e-Learning Faculty of Imperial College London created a spectacular and useful Second Life tool in medical education. Here are some screenshots that can describe what the learning process looks like.
Article
Bertalan Meskó, ScienceRoll, 17 August 2008

Simulating Surgery to Reduce Implant Complications

“A computer simulation breakthrough could mean fewer medical complications and better surgical outcomes for patients undergoing hip, knee or spinal implant surgery. Each year surgeons across Europe perform a staggering 900,000 hip, knee and spinal implant operations. Implant surgery is one of the most remarkable advances in medical science. Such operations restore increased mobility and a vastly improved quality of life to millions of Europeans.”
Article
eHealthNews.eu, 30 April 2008

Virtual reality and computer technology improve stroke rehabilitation

“Israeli hospitals have recently started to use virtual reality therapy for stroke patients.
One commonly used program has the patient watch his virtual image on a screen. For example, tennis balls are virtually thrown at the patient from all directions and the patients’ actual hand motions are recorded on screen.”
Article
Amir Gilat, Innovations Report, 11 March 2008

Electronic Medical Records in a Virtual Hospital: Interview!

“The Ann Myers Medical Center is a hospital in Second Life, the virtual world where we organize medical exercises and simulations. John Norris is more than interested in medical informatics and the opportunities provided by Second Life in medical education. That’s all you should know before reading the next interview with John Norris about his recent experiments to implement electronic medical records into the virtual hospital.”
Article
Bertalan Meskó, ScienceRoll, 8 March 2008

Data farming used to improve nursing capacity

“Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare of Memphis, Tenn. has joined the University of Memphis Center for Healthcare Technology on an innovative research program aiming to help nurses do their jobs.
The research method, known as “data farming,” uses computer simulation to analyze thousands of nurse workflow scenarios and find ways to apply healthcare IT and physical layouts, increasing the capacity of a nurse to be at bedside.”
Article
Diana Manos, Healthcare IT News, 4 January 2008

A “generic” simulation tool for modelling hospital accident and emergency services

Anthony Codrington-Virtue*,**, Paul Wittlestone**, John Kelly**, Thierry Chaussalet*
*Health and Social Care Modelling Group, Centre for Health Informatics, Cavendish School of Computer Science, University of Westminster, London, UK
**RKW Healthcare Strategists London, UK

Abstract:

Discrete event simulation can be a valuable tool in modelling health care systems. This paper describes an interactive framework to both enter data and display patient pathways and activity using a discrete event simulation package in a hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department setting. The interactive framework allowed data such as patient pathways, arrival times, service times and resource information to be entered into a discrete event simulation package (Simul8) via Excel in a user-friendly way. Simul8 was also configured to visually show patient flow and activity on a plan of the A&E. The patient flow and activity information included patient icons flowing along pathways, processes undertaken in work areas and queue activity. One major benefit of visually showing patient flow and activity is that modellers and decision makers can rapidly gain a dynamic insight into the performance of the overall system and see those changes over the model run cycle. Another key benefit of the interactive framework is the ability to quickly and easily change model parameters to trail, test and compare different scenarios. The models could then be analysed by modellers and decision makers to “develop basic understanding, find and compare decisions and policies”.