Belarus develops virtual patient for medical training
Baku, May 13, AZERTAC
A virtual patient called MedExam has been developed in Belarus to train medical university students and certify doctors. The development, created by Vitebsk State Order of People’s Friendship Medical University and one of the residents of the Hi-Tech Park, has been showcased at the BelarusMedica exhibition which is taking place at the Minsk International Exhibition Center, BelTA has learned.
“Today, in order to develop clinical competencies for senior students and doctors, working only in clinical settings is not enough. It is necessary to carry out diagnosis and treatment of patients in simulated conditions. That is why simulated patients exist,” Head of the Simulation and Certification Center at Vitebsk Medical University, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor Viktor Rednenko explained.
In his words, many foreign simulators have a limited set of clinical scenarios, and treatment protocols do not align with the procedures established by the Healthcare Ministry or the canons of propaedeutics on which Belarusian doctors are trained.
“So the idea arose to create our own simulated patient. The idea was implemented with the help of a resident of the Hi-Tech Park. We ended up with a good product that we use to train our students and doctors,” said Viktor Rednenko.
The uniqueness of this program and what sets it apart from other similar simulators is that the platform is open, allowing any number of scenarios of varying complexity to be loaded into the program. So far, 12 scenarios have been developed, but the program continues to expand.
In addition, the virtual patient is very convenient for debriefing, one of the most important elements of a doctor’s training. This involves analyzing mistakes after a simulation scenario has been completed. A special debriefing system monitors the correctness of treatment, diagnosis, and the order of procedures performed.
Furthermore, the virtual patient can be used to assess the competencies of a future doctor, serving as an examination program. Viktor Rednenko added that as early as June, Vitebsk State Medical University will conduct an exam, initially as a pilot, to assess the real readiness of medical interns to provide medical care.
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