Sim Center video aims to help prevent spread of COVID-19
As the number of healthcare providers infected with COVID-19 continues to grow, how personal protective equipment (PPE) is used has become more important than ever. That's why the Sentara Center for Simulation & Immersive Learning at EVMS has been working with eTrain etc to create a unique and free PPE donning and doffing micro-simulation, available online.
The interactive simulation is focused on CDC guidelines specific to COVID-19. It guides the learner through a 10-minute lesson in donning and doffing.
“Proper donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19 within a caregiving setting,” says Bob Armstrong, Executive Director of the EVMS Sentara Center for Simulation and Immersive Learning. He adds that during the Ebola virus outbreak of 2014, many caregivers became infected simply because of poor doffing techniques. “Given what we learned during that time, coupled with the fact that most caregivers do not usually work in highly contagious environments, we wanted to create an educational tool to help protect them.”
Mr. Armstrong reached out to eTrain, a company that creates reality-based and artificial intelligence-enabled simulation scenarios, to help create the PPE micro-simulation. He hopes the collaboration will increase understanding of and confidence in performing these protective steps.