Online training course launches to teach medics how to operate vital life saving ventilators in just 30 minutes so they can join the coronavirus frontline
- The tool includes a series of videos and interactive guides for using a ventilator
- It will allow retired doctors and nurses to regain lost skills to work with patients
- Doctors from other parts of the hospital will also be able to work on ventilators
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
Doctors and nurses working on the coronavirus frontline will be able to convert their skills to help patients needing a ventilator thanks to a new online training course.
It usually takes months to learn the skills required for intensive care, but the new tool can help doctors and nurses convert their existing skills in just 30 minutes.
The tool was developed by academics from Imperial College London and FundamentalVR to meet the ‘desperate need for people to operate ventilators’.
Ventilators help patients breathe by moving air in and out of their lungs for them – something required in the worst COVID-19 cases.
Doctors and nurses working on the coronavirus frontline will be able to convert their skills to help patients needing a ventilator thanks to a new virtual reality tool
It usually takes months to learn the skills required for intensive care, but the new tool can help doctors and nurses convert their existing skills in just 30 minutes
The tool was developed by academics from Imperial College London and FundamentalVR to meet the ‘desperate need for people to operate ventilators’
As companies, including vacuum maker Dyson and others work to produce the devices, doctors and nurses are having to retrain to operate them.
The training includes a short how-to video that teaches the essentials of using ventilators and then step-by-step instructions on their operation.
Developers say the idea behind the globally available tool is to prevent health care systems being overwhelmed by the surging numbers of COVID-19 patients.
Medics can access the tool on a smartphone at home or in real-time as they care for patients under the supervision of intensive care experts.
The tool is free for all doctors and nurses, regardless of the country, health system or specialism and is being improved over time to add more information.
Dr Richard Leonard, Consultant in Critical Care at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: ‘We hope that this training will support clinicians from multiple specialties to join the inspiring response to this worldwide pandemic.
‘Everyone can make a difference and we hope this will give them the confidence to make a start.’
COVID-19 has not only led to a rise in demand for ventilators, but also led the NHS to have to quickly redeploy doctors and nurses from other disciplines as well as those coming out of retirement to support in the ICU.
FundamentalVR, which usually develops immersive simulations to train surgeons, has worked with Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to develop the new tool.
Developers say the idea behind the globally available tool is to prevent health care systems being overwhelmed by the surging numbers of COVID-19 patients
COVID-19 has not only led to a rise in demand for ventilators, but also led the NHS to have to quickly redeploy doctors and nurses from other disciplines as well as those coming out of retirement to support in the ICU
Professor Ara Darzi, co-director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, which is leading the project, said the new training course is not designed to replace the intensive care doctor’s expertise.
He said it will enable health systems across the world to ‘act now’ and provide the care that their patients desperately need.
‘With greater capacity, we can help more people survive this illness, and prevent health systems from becoming overwhelmed during this crisis.’
Professor Julian Redhead, medical director at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said said the tool adds to a range of training they’ve had to introduce ‘very quickly’.
Richard Vincent, CEO of Fundamental VR, which helped develop the tool, added: ‘When COVID-19 struck we were delighted to work with the team at Imperial College London on the rapid development of this important Ventilator Trainer.
‘We are pleased to see it roll out to help build confidence and competence with Healthcare professionals at this challenging time.’
FundamentalVR’s most high profile project is a surgical simulator called HapticVR that allows surgeons to experience the same sights, sounds and feelings they would in a real procedure.