MetaNurse - Mixed Reality Simulation for Nursing Training

2021年6月，NHS有93,000个护士职位空缺，比前一年增加了23%。在过去的5年里，来自欧盟的护士人数下降了90%，36%的英国护士表示他们正在考虑离开这一职业。这是一个全球性的问题，缺乏新的合格员工，以及员工留任问题，这意味着到2030年，全球将缺少1100万名护士。在英国，培训一名护士需要三年时间，费用高达7万英镑。每年约有1.7万名新护士获得资格，这意味着要解决这一短缺问题还需要很多年。政府承诺到2025年再增加5万名护士，但这种对更多本土护士的追求意味着供不应求，这一问题因受到限制而加剧，限制了获得高质量培训设施的机会。模拟程序是培训的重要元素，使学生能够在安全的环境中在实践中学习，使用真实的设备。患者人体模型是常规使用的，但这些模型逼真度低，价格昂贵，不允许远程培训。虚拟现实(VR)正越来越多地被用于护士培训，使用数字视听内容来创建身临其境的学习环境。这些设备可以远程使用，但不需要使用所有的感官，也不能提供培养肌肉记忆所需的动手、触觉反馈，这在急救程序中非常重要，因为正确使用设备和技术必须是第二自然的。MetaNurse将通过使用混合现实来模拟临床程序来解决这一问题。混合现实(MR)将VR与真实世界的对象相结合，使用直接的手跟踪来实现与触觉反馈的同步交互。该项目将通过改进真实/虚拟世界的注册、手和物体跟踪来改进最先进的技术，以创建尽可能接近真实生活的模拟。这项核心技术将被包装在与英国一所领先的护理学校共同开发的培训计划中，并与教师和学生进行评估。

In June 2021 there were 93,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS, 23% more than the previous year. In the last 5 years nurse numbers from the EU have fallen 90% and 36% of UK nurses stated they are considering leaving the profession. This is a global problem, with insufficient newly qualified staff and issues with staff retention meaning there will be a global shortage of 11m nurses by 2030\.It takes three years to train a nurse in the UK and costs up to £70,000\. Around 17,000 new nurses qualify each year meaning it will take many years before this shortfall is addressed.The government has pledged an additional 50,000 nurses by 2025 yet this drive for more home-grown means demand outstrips capacity, a problem exacerbated by restrictions under covid, limiting access to high-quality training facilities.Simulations of procedures are an important element of training which enable students to learn by doing, practising with real equipment in a safe environment. Patient mannequins are conventionally used but these are low-fidelity, expensive and do not allow for remote training.Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly being used in nurse training, using digital, audio-visual content to create immersive learning environments. These can be used remotely yet do not use all the senses or provide the hands-on, tactile feedback needed to develop the 'muscle memory', so important in emergency procedures where the correct use of equipment and techniques must be second nature.MetaNurse will address this by using mixed reality to simulate clinical procedures. Mixed Reality (MR) combines VR with real-world objects, using direct hand tracking to enable simultaneous interaction with tactile feedback. This project will improve on the state-of-the art by improving real/virtual world registration, hand and object tracking to create a simulation that is as close to real life as possible. This core technology will be wrapped in a training programme developed with a leading UK nursing school and evaluated with both instructors and students.