Exploring the operating theatre – digital technology improves practical nursing education

Turku University of Applied Sciences has developed a virtual exercise in the international 360ViSi project, which allows nursing students to familiarise themselves with the work of the operating theatre. The simulation teaching provides an alternative way to get to know the operating theatre as a care environment, while at the same time increasing training opportunities.

Text by Aleksi Rajamäki and Siiri Welling
Photos by 360ViSi

The new learning app allows students to practice independently, regardless of time or place. For teachers, it allows them to monitor students’ work and learning progress. The app can also be used as a tool to help new employees get familiar with the hospital’s operating theatre department.

– Traineeships are scarce, and not all nursing students have access to traineeships in the operating theatres and wards. However, they should know the most important things about the observation and care of patients in the recovery room, says Tiina Nurmela, senior lecturer and head of nursing education at Turku University of Applied Sciences.

The 360 simulation combines the tools of open video production with the learning elements of VR technology.

– Students become more enthusiastic about learning when you add playfulness to the environment. The exercise is repeatable if you want to refresh your knowledge and skills. The simulation mimics a realistic nursing environment, says Nurmela.

The development work has involved nursing teachers and virtual technology experts from Turku University of Applied Sciences. In terms of nursing, the project belongs to the research group Developing Better Healthcare in the Hybrid World, while the technical implementation has been carried out by the research group Futuristic Interactive Technologies.

In practice, the technologists designed an easy-to-use editor for 360 videos, which can be used to create teaching materials for nurses’ training.

– Teachers are able to build the simulation exercise themselves, adapting the questions and pathways to make it as useful as possible for the student. The exercise can be fed with different outcomes and questions, which can be more or less depending on the level of the student performing the simulation, says Juha Saarinen, the lecturer who developed the technical solution.

– A similar editor can be used for many things other than teaching. For example, it could be used to give a tour of a museum. The editor is still under development, but the source code is openly available on the Git Hub.

The 360ViSi (Interactive Video Simulation) project was running from 2020 to 2023, coordinated by the University of Stavanger in Norway, with Turku University of Applied Sciences as a partner. The project is funded by the ERASMUS+ programme.

The article was published on the previous turkuamk.fi website on 13.3.2023.