CENTRE FOR HEALTHCARE INNOVATION

Tan Tock Seng Hospital and VR: How VR training is improving patient care

The Centre for Healthcare Innovation, hosted at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore, has built a VR module to improve training effectiveness, with 100% of employees agreeing that it has deepened their knowledge.

Using VR to make healthcare training more efficient

The Challenge

As innovators, the CHI team cares deeply about finding cutting-edge ways to help transform how people work and connect. A critical pillar of CHI's purpose is to promote a culture of innovation that leads to better health outcomes in the wider community.

The organization subscribes to a learning system called 6S, a set of “Lean” techniques designed to promote a high level of safety and productivity in the workplace.

CHI aspired to provide a learning experience that allowed people to apply 6S principles effectively – a training program that allowed users to identify and remove unnecessary steps in accordance with Lean principles and to reorganize space and processes to facilitate better flows.

Furthermore, it was important to think about the wider community. “We needed a solution that was scalable far beyond the walls of TTSH,” said Manager Loo Wei Hann.

About the company

The Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) is a co-learning network hosted by Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) in Singapore. Its goal is to improve healthcare outcomes through innovation. The organization subscribes to a learning system called 6S, a set of ‘Lean’ techniques designed to promote safety and productivity in the workplace.

Industry

Healthcare

Trainee, CHI

“

Gone are the days of boring classroom learning! VR training was fun and enriching, allowing me to learn in the simulated environment that looks just like a real scenario.

WHY VR

Why VR?

CHI explored several devices as they prepared to build out their training offer. Here’s why Meta Quest 2 was the device they went with:

Ease of set-up – Intuitive controls and pick-up and go capabilities were key drivers for adopting headsets.
Portability – The Quest 2’s lightweight and wireless design allowed the CHI team to easily share their learning modules outside of Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Low cost – Affordable headsets helped to build a modern solution at a budget-friendly cost.
Safety – The ability to set virtual boundaries while allowing users to practice medical procedures without the usual risks gave learners a new sense of confidence.

The Solution

"We thought VR represented a natural next step," said Hann. "Particularly for specialised simulations that healthcare professionals needed to do every day."

The team identified scenarios to showcase the application of 6S. One of these included taking blood at a specialist outpatient clinic, a process that most staff could identify with. The specialized simulation enabled users to put their knowledge into practice in a risk-free environment and helped them to identify and remove unnecessary processes in accordance with Lean principles.

Scenario development began with the engagement of clinical teams to understand the details of the procedure and to validate the storyboard. Next came an in-depth collaboration with VR agency FXMedia, to work out the mechanics, UX/UI and flow of the scenario.

The lifelike simulation became part of "MyCare VR". The app used a wide range of features to encourage adoption and cater to different types of learners. CHI built a simple tutorial module covering the course’s basic controls and functions, and included visual, audio and tactile elements to engage the senses. The VR training even featured small game segments to prevent cognitive overload and avatars based on real members of the team for a personal touch.

ISV FACT FILE

FXMedia

Founded in 1994, FXMedia is based in the Asia-Pacific region and delivers VR solutions to many international clients, including corporate enterprises, government agencies, and start-ups.

Learn more

CHI internal data, 2023

“

100% of participants have agreed that VR has enhanced and deepened their understanding of Lean knowledge.

The Results

"We're really excited that every single participant agrees that VR has enhanced and deepened their understanding of 6S knowledge. It was a key target, and we're so happy to have hit it." Loo Wei Hann, Manager, TTSH

Tan Tock Seng plans to launch new training scenarios, including one focusing on pharmacy medication packing. The hospital also plans to extend VR training to the community to benefit residents and partners and deliver care beyond the hospital.