Simulation technology developed at the University of Virginia (UVA) will allow health care providers and medical students to experience numerous scenarios that simulate prostate cancer. The Virginia Prostate Exam Simulator consists of an anatomical model with four different prostates that can be altered by the inflation and deflation of small water balloons. The interactive tool can simulate more than 100 malignancy scenarios, which might take years for clinicians to encounter through traditional patient examinations, says Marcus Martin, MD, UVA professor of emergency medicine, interim vice president, and chief officer for diversity and equity.
The project’s goal was to create multiple conditions that could be reconfigured on demand by clinicians to simulate graded stages of cancerous tumors and benign prostatic hyperplasia in a lifelike model. “Collaboration helped us develop a realistic and robust simulator for teaching students and practitioner,” says Reba Moyer Childress, MSN, FNP, APRN-BC, assistant professor of nursing at UVA. “The simulator is user-friendly, accurate, and representative of how an actual patient will present.” Initially, training occurs in a supervised setting, followed by unsupervised scenarios. The simulator’s design enables immediate feedback to both the instructor and trainees. UVA researchers are developing additional simulators that will include refinements of the technology. The UVA Patent Foundation has licensed the technology to health care product supplier NASCO International.
Source: Medical News TODAY