HKUMed MFN v26i1

Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, HKU that let students see and hear the world through the lens of patients with psychosis or depression, and a robot with chatbot technology to help develop students’ communication and questioning skills. The VSim programme is targeted at students in Years 2-5 who enter the VSim interface via their home computers, where they are presented with different clinical scenarios and have to make decisions in nursing care. The system automatically gives students scores for their online decisions, then teachers follow up in structured debriefing to identify mistakes and areas of improvement. ‘The School’s teaching is based on the concept of problem- based learning, so we simulate scenarios in wards. Students have to decide which parts of the body should be assessed, which apparatus to use, whether oxygen should be delivered, whether the patient’s position should be adjusted, and so on. They learn how to assess patient conditions and give a provisional nursing diagnosis and a nursing care plan for follow-up,’ Dr Wong said. The VSim programme is well received among Nursing students, who find it constructive to their learning. They also report significant improvement in clinical competence, satisfaction and self-confidence, although communication and critical thinking elements fell short in the virtual environment. According to a survey conducted by the School of Nursing, students were satisfied with simulation education, with an average rating of 5.36 (on a 1-7 point scale). A final-year student Chan Yat-wah recalled the dire situation of handling a patient suffering from oxygen desaturation due to swallowing problems during his geriatric internship. ‘Thanks to the simulation classes, in which I had handled similar cases prior to the internship, I was able to stay calm and helped the patient with proficient skills,’ said Yat-wah. In addition to teaching, VSim has even been adapted for clinical assessment of final-year Nursing students by adding a self-reflection component. Last year this was used to assess 188 students, who completed four case scenarios over two days and were guided in debriefing sessions to defuse their emotions and difficulties encountered, reflect on and identify the rationale behind their decisions, and consider how to apply their new learning in practice. Dr Wong added: ‘VSim plus online structured feedback can be an effective alternative modality for clinical training when traditional face-to-face teaching is not available. It should also be part of a system that gives students a variety of learning opportunities to build their competence.’ Dr Janet Wong Yuen-ha 랔㭓ꩾ⽈㡦 OHIW DQG ĺQDO \HDU VWXGHQW &KDQ <DW ZDK ꤫鹠埢 Students experiencing the world of patients with mental illnesses through immersive VR technology. 31