Pioneer VR in simulation training

Sin Kai-cheuk
Associate Consultant (Intensive Care Unit)
Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Dr Sin Kai-cheuk has been working at the intensive care unit since 2011, responsible for training interns on safe transportation of critically ill patients. The next year, he took a further step to collaborate with Multi-disciplinary Simulation and Skills Centre of Kowloon Central Cluster and introduced an organised simulation training programme to new interns. Inspired by a medical education conference last year in which he learnt that virtual reality (VR) technology has been widely applied in clinical teaching, he cooperated with Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to design a VR training programme for blood test procedures (type and screen, and blood culture). The programme receives encouraging response as students can practise repeatedly in an interactive fashion.

“The learning model for doctors has changed from person to person teaching to the use of technology. Doctors today undertake training through technology before their actual work in ward. I act as a bridge to guide interns to reinforce their clinical skills and put theory into practice, thus, enhance patient safety,” he says.