#Product Trends
Immersive Simulation Environments
Using Partition Screens For Simulation
Simulation
Imagine your first day as a paramedic, out on the street and faced with a seriously ill or injured person needing your help… can you remember what to do and where to find things in the back of your ambulance?
Working under pressure seems natural when you are experienced but teaching new staff can be difficult if all you teach is the theory.
Simulation training provides staff with a safe learning environment in which they can develop skills without the risk of making a detrimental mistake.
We worked with the Centre for Engagement and Simulation Science at Imperial College London to create a ‘Simbulance’. They wanted to create an accurate training environment for paramedics. We worked with them to create a simulation ambulance or ‘Simbulance’, which created a safe environment for them to train and receive feedback before they have to act on live patients. By doing this they are able to continuously improve practices, processes, team work and coordination as well as so much more, especially whilst working in a small space such as an ambulance.
By using a portable KwickScreen our client was able to create an immersive simulation environment in an inexpensive, time saving manner.
Whereas previously the products they used were made of bulky sheets that did not collapse, the KwickScreen maintains the accuracy they need whilst also being easier to store and transport between locations. When not in use, the KwickScreen retracts from 3m back into its own casing, making storage easy and neat. This has enabled them to use their portable Simbulance more frequently and take their training to more places, educating more people in an interactive and memorable way.
What is simulation?
Simulation is the recreation of a situation or a process and can be useful in a multitude of scenarios. KwickScreens are portable, flexible and we print high quality images, making it the perfect solution to simulation needs.
Simulation can be a valuable tool to teach and educate students and staff new processes and training for unusual scenarios.
Simulation can have many other benefits for all ages, such as helping patients with fears and phobias, or to create a dementia friendly environment to help patient experience.
Simulation as a tool for education and training:
Provides safe learning environment
Simulation training provides staff with a safe learning environment in which they can develop skills without the risk of making a detrimental mistake. When faced with a situation in the future, they might have a greater ability to deal with small spaces or tricky procedures, in order to keep the patient safe whilst also ensuring what they are performing is done correctly.
Rather than just teaching staff how to deal with various scenarios verbally, or even with a handbook of instructions, it would be more beneficial to them to learn by doing. Rather than approaching the situation for the first time when there is a life on the line, by practicing the scenario with simulation, they will be able to draw upon this as a ‘past experience’ and make better decisions quicker.
Improves teamwork
As well as providing a greater learning experience, using KwickScreen simulation can improve the way your staff work together as a team. Because they are able to discuss what they are doing and evaluate how they have done it, it means that they can decide on a common goal and understand each others strengths and weaknesses.
Simulation can also be fun, especially when it is apart of a training day adding to that excitement. By having a fun experience, it can give the staff a combined memory that will improve their teamwork going forward as they learn more about each other and feel closer.
Accelerates learning:
Research shows that students who use simulation as part of their education can learn a set of concepts quicker that those who are in a traditional lecture, in which they simply listen to someone at the front of a classroom or hall. By linking theory with practice, they are also able to retain three and a half times as much information as those who do not participate in simulation based learning.
This does not only apply to students, but all adults learn better experientially, especially when combined with traditional teaching methods. This means that simulation is perfect for those in formal education but also for those who are not.
Improves other critical skills
Whilst learning the practical skills such as maneuvering, simulation also improves other critical skills.
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Ability to anticipate outcomes
- Active engagement in conversations, between tutors and students, and between students and their peers.
- Reflection
Simulation is also proven to improve the ability for students to confidently make decisions in the future as they have had the chance to reflect and improve their practice. By developing their confidence, it allows the students to become more independent and will allow them to use their initiative in future scenarios. Simulation is perfect for students who may have to demonstrate these critical skills as part of their degree.
Working with you:
With our experience and artwork, we are able to work with you to create the right simulation for you. Whether it is a simulated ambulance, helicopter or a cave for wilderness training, our high-quality imagery can make your immersive experience even more realistic.
To make things even better, our zip-out inner panels are easy to change so you can quickly switch between scenarios, even whilst on site.
Simulation can also be helpful to patients:
Desensitisation for patients
It is estimated that over 10 million people in the UK have a phobia, with hospital related phobias being extremely common, for example, going into a surgery room. Children and Young people often experience these phobias and if not dealt with appropriately at these early ages, they can take these fears into adulthood.
By conquering these fears, they can receive care which otherwise may affect their health, which is why the role that organisations and teams, such as Play Specialists, take is so important.
One of the ways that Play Specialists and other healthcare services deal with such phobias, is through de-sensitisation through simulation.
By creating the ‘feared environment’, they are gradually exposed to the situation in a safe and sensitive environment. It means that Children and Young People do not have added pressure and can stop whenever they want to, whilst also not being at cost to staff time which could be used to help treat another patient. It allows the Children and Young People to ask questions and experience their fears in an educated, non-threatening manner.
Of course, this is not just a quick fix and will be used with other therapy techniques, but KwickScreen can help with this particular side of therapy technique. We can provide you with customisable, and interchangeable screen printings so you can create the most realistic environment, even printing your photographs of specific rooms, so it creates the most effective simulation for helping your patients who suffer from phobias. KwickScreens are flexible, so you can manipulate how open or enclosed the simulation will be.
Dementia friendly areas
Creating memory lanes or replica villages for your ward or accommodation is a great way to use simulation as a tool for dementia friendly design.
Memory lanes or replica villages are spaces that are designed to replicate how places used to look in the past. They can be very useful in supporting people living with dementia and older people living in care homes, adding to their patient experience.
By ensuring the simulation is interactive, it provides everyone with something to do, as well as providing a comfort to dementia patients by doing a familiar task. Your memory lane or replica village could include a café, old fashioned board games or a market stall.
These lanes can encourage patients to share stories and relive happy memories, but also provides a way to start a new conversation about the activity they are doing. Dementia friendly simulation techniques are a useful way to create conversations between patients, residents and visitors, without constantly asking ‘do you remember this’.
By using a KwickScreen, you can create a realistic background to your space, with the ability to change it as necessary. We can create a unique background for your local area, so depending on your patients, location and time they remember, the KwickScreen can provide the most relevant background to your dementia friendly simulation.
A summary of how we can help:
KwickScreens are a versatile screens which can be used to create various simulation exercises. The high quality photography will make your activity even more realistic.
Simulation is a valuable tool to teach and educate students, staff and patients in a safe, non-threatening environment. KwickScreens are flexible, as well as having interchangeable panels, so offer a variety of ways to use and change simulation exercises, perfect for if you are attending a conference. The portable nature of the screens and small footprint, means that it is easy to store and move around between locations.
So the next time you are thinking of creating a simulation environment, remember to use KwickScreens and give us a call today.
