SimX is a virtual reality (VR) medical simulation program that allows learners to step into the shoes of healthcare providers in complex medical scenarios. The platform offers a range of cases that test learners’ ability to identify and manage various medical emergencies while honing their communication and patient management skills. These SimX scenarios focus on key objectives such as clear communication, teamwork, early identification of troubling vital signs, and procedural skills using VR to completely immerse learners in the simulated environment. This HealthySimulation.com article will focus on SimX’s Virtual Reality platform’s latest Sepsis scenario and customization tools available to their users.
The newest patient case in the SimX virtual reality platform is a Sepsis scenario. In this immersive simulation, learners step into the shoes of an emergency department healthcare provider tasked with managing a 70-year-old male patient who presents with abdominal pain and fever. The simulation is a complex case designed to test learners’ ability to identify and manage sepsis and septic shock while honing their communication and treatment skills.
The key learner objectives of the healthcare simulation include early recognition of sepsis and septic shock, understanding the importance of urgent source control, clear communication with team members regarding early treatment therapies, and early aggressive treatment with IV fluids and antibiotics. By achieving these objectives, learners can effectively develop the necessary skills to treat sepsis and septic shock in real-life medical situations.
A significant advantage of the SimX learning platform is their ability to provide customized cases to fit the specific needs of different medical professionals. The SimX system allows for the rapid creation of topics, from routine clinic visits to multi-trauma scenarios for field medics, from basic assessment for MA training to postoperative ICU cases for specialists. The SimX system builds these cases in weeks and for a price 1/10th the cost of the competition, thanks to the powerful engine and in-house medical and technical teams.
A key feature of SimX VR system is the wireless compatibility with the newest cutting-edge all-in-one headsets, allowing users to set up anywhere the learner might be in less than five minutes. This feature enables instructors flexibility in how they deliver simulated experiences. Because of this feature, learners can simulate the back of the lab or as part of a small group session or even participate in a simulation from home. The headsets cost only hundreds, not thousands, of dollars and eliminate the need for separate computers, making them accessible and affordable.
SimX is also capable of multiple participant (aka multiplayer) scenarios, which allow instructors, learners, and observers from all around the world to work together in VR on the same patient case. Patented technology by SimX also allows multiple educators to operate virtual simulation experiences for participants within the same room, to enable realistic collaborative training experiences.
The SimX case system may seem familiar to simulation educators, as the tool is based on the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s open-source case model. SimX cases are constructed as a series of interdependent states, allowing customers to define everything about the patient, environment, tools, critical actions, and outcomes to create endless experiences for the learner. Cases can start in the field, progress to the ED, and finally arrive in the OR. Scenarios can support multiple patients, each with their progression, as well as patient family members who may distract or even intervene. These customizable options are all based on the latest educational standards, any of which can be modified “on the fly” during the simulated experience. SimX provides high-quality moderator tools to empower faculty modification in real time, such as the ability to alter the scenario’s difficulty.
While the SimX platform includes over 150 patient models, 30 environments, and 300 clinical procedures to meet diverse learner needs, SimX also provides educators with access to the custom scenario library available via the Marketplace. The SimX Marketplace currently features more than 200 additional cases designed by prominent institutions such as NYU, Penn, and the Department of Defense, which other institutions can also download and utilize across clinical curricula.
To create clinical cases which will be shared on the online marketplace, clinical faculty first consider a high-level concept that includes specific learning objectives. Educators then meet with a member of the SimX team to discuss scenario elements such as case flow, character selection, environmental circumstances, and additional assets which may be helpful in bringing the scenario to life.
Every Custom Simulated Patient Encounter (CSPE) that is uploaded onto the SimX Marketplace has the opportunity to be shared with the other users of the SimX platform. Authors and institutions which create impactful learning scenarios are invited to share in revenue commissions per each external download. For example, Elsevier, a leading provider of healthcare scientific research publications, selected SimX to host more than 100 nursing cases on the SimX marketplace. Elsevier’s clinical faculty collaborated with the SimX clinical scenario design team to build immersive, accessible, and impactful VR experiences for Elsevier’s nursing students.
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Because much of the learning in simulation occurs after the scenario has ended, SimX provides powerful reporting and debriefing tools that allow students and faculty to track their performance over time. Following simulation experiences, reports are generated which show timestamps of every action performed in the scenario. Such timeline annotations allow faculty to quickly review the experience and highlight areas of clinical success or moments that demonstrate room for improvement.
SimX continues to revolutionize medical simulation education through a robust and accessible platform for participants to engage in realistic and practical training. By leveraging the capabilities of virtual reality and clinical expertise, the SimX platform offers a transformative learning experience that enhances skills, improves patient care, and drives the advancement of healthcare education. With their commitment to innovation, collaboration, and quality conten on the Marketplace, SimX is poised to shape the future of medical simulation and contribute to the development of the next generation of healthcare professionals.