Singapore General Hospital shifts to gamified VR nurse training

Its nurses are now training to insert cannulas in virtual patients. The Singapore General Hospital has begun employing virtual reality (VR) technology to teach its nurses in IV cannulation. A group of SGH nurses created IV NIMBLE (Nursing Innovation in Mobility-based Learning), an immersive gamified training module, in collaboration with Serious Games Asia and sensor solutions provider Microtube Technologies to improve nurses' education. A 3D-printed hand that matches human skin texture, a virtual patient avatar for nurses to practise speaking with, and a pressure sensor glove that measures cannulation pressure are all included in the module. Additionally, it collects data and displays it on an analytics dashboard for inspection. About 120 SGH nurses first tested IV NIMBLE six months ago, and it is funded by a grant from the Institute for Adult Learning of the Singapore University of Social Sciences. There are several potential benefits of using gaming in nursing education:

• Improving knowledge retention: Games can make learning more engaging and interactive, helping students retain information better and for a longer period of time.
• Encouraging critical thinking: Many games require players to make decisions and solve problems, helping to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This can be particularly beneficial for nursing students who will need to make decisions and solve problems in real-life clinical situations.
• Building teamwork and communication skills: Some games require collaboration and communication among players, which can help nursing students develop important teamwork and communication skills.
• Simulating real-life scenarios: Gaming can be used to simulate real-life medical scenarios, allowing students to practice and apply their knowledge in a safe and controlled environment.
• Promoting student engagement and motivation: Games can be more engaging and motivating than traditional forms of learning, helping to increase student interest and participation in their education.

Overall, gaming can be a valuable tool in nursing education as it can help students acquire and retain knowledge, develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, build teamwork and communication skills, and promote student engagement and motivation.