Tag: VR

VR technology and educational escape rooms used to train over 600 school children in vital lifesaving skills

Over 600 high school students have so far been trained in vital lifesaving skills as part of a groundbreaking pilot training programme using innovative technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and educational escape rooms.

The Young Minds Save Lives pilot programme, which is run by the Scottish Ambulance Service and is currently funded by NHS Charities Together, provides young people with critical knowledge and skills on how to respond in a medical emergency and preventative healthcare. The programme also aims to raise awareness about future careers in healthcare and opportunities for volunteering.

Working with staff at Shawlands Academy and Holyrood Secondary School, the pilot training programme has been designed with S3 students to meet the specific needs of the local community whilst providing interest to the young people by using innovative educational tools which are not typically used in a school setting.

The programme, which is delivered to pupils by two local frontline paramedics, covers topics such as CPR where dummies and VR headsets are used, recognising strokes, chest pain and heart attacks, drug and alcohol harm, and excessive bleeding from penetrating wounds such as knives.

The young people took part in educational escape room challenges which tested their knowledge on the topics they had been taught in order to finish the programme.

Reflecting on her experience, Mia Tait, S3 student at Shawlands Academy said: “I’ve really enjoyed taking part in the Young Minds Save Lives pilot programme and have learned loads of new skills.

“It’s also really increased my confidence, so if I ever came across or was involved in a medical emergency, I’d feel like I’d know what to do now.

“Using a VR headset for our CPR lesson was great fun and when I took it home to show my family, they were keen to have a go too!

“The programme has also given me more of an insight into the work of paramedics and the potential career and volunteering options that are available at the Scottish Ambulance Service when I’m a bit older. I’d never really thought about it before.”

Michael Dickson, Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive said: “The Young Minds Saves Lives pilot programme is unique.

“It’s a co-designed project working with the young people using innovative technology and creative learning methods to educate them on vital skills, and it also focuses on working with the local community to support their needs and issues with the outcome of improving population health, supporting healthcare careers of young people, and wider health and wellbeing.

“The feedback we have received from staff, pupils, parents and the community whilst we’ve been running this pilot project has been absolutely fantastic.

“The University of Glasgow have undertaken an evaluation of the programme and the next step, subject to securing further investment, is to roll the initiative out across the country in order to train more high school children in vital life-saving skills and preventative healthcare areas, which will benefit additional Scottish communities.”

The pilot programme is supported by Save a Life Scotland, Resus UK, the University of Glasgow, Developing the Young Workforce Glasgow, NHS Education for Scotland, Health Improvement Scotland and Eeek Escape Rooms.

For more information about how you can support the Young Minds Save Lives initiative, contact: sas.ymsl@nhs.scot.

Blind veterans continue hillwalking passion thanks to power of VR

Imagine being a keen hillwalker who loves the outdoors but then being unable to enjoy it because of sight loss. Fortunately, many veterans of the Armed Forces who have visual impairment can climb their favourite mountains again, thanks to Sight Scotland Veterans.

Jason Turnbull is a centre officer at Sight Scotland Veterans’ Hawkhead Centre in Paisley. The keen hillwalker, who is a former healthcare support worker, has been at Hawkhead since it opened five years ago. A few months ago, the centre’s IT suite installed its first VR headset and already it is having a positive impact on its users.

Jason, who is responsible for organising activities for the veterans, is combining his passion for hillwalking and the power of virtual reality so that many of the veterans at the Hawkhead Centre can experience Scotland’s great outdoors again.

He explains: “I had previous experience with VR headset, so I was very keen to try it at Hawkhead. I watched 360-degree videos on YouTube and thought to myself ‘I can do better than that’. So, I bought a 360-degree camera and took it up the hills with me.

“I then began showing the veterans who are keen hillwalkers, and those who weren’t, the footage and there was a very positive reaction. They said it was ‘like being back on the hills’.”

The centre officer explained that because the VR headset lenses are close to their eyes, the veterans can experience the video footage like those without vision loss.

He adds: “I thought I am on to something here, so I have been going around as many Munros as I can so they can come with me.

I am starting with the centrally located ones, in and around Crianlarich, like Ben More and Stob Binnein. I edit the footage and show the veterans when I come back, and they are saying it is absolutely unbelievable.

“It’s reawakening something in them. It is so rewarding to watch them and see their reaction. Perhaps it has been many years since they’ve climbed that hill, but they realise where they are. The VR allows them to revisit somewhere that was special to them. It triggers all those memories and sparks positive feelings within them.”

Noreen Smith, a former army nurse who has Macular degeneration, who regularly attends Sight Scotland Veterans’ Hawkhead Centre, has always been a great hillwalker but had to give up her passion due to her vision impairment. She explains: “The VR is just wonderful, it is just like you are back there again, it brings back so many happy memories for me. I can see the whole landscape, all the tremendous views, it really is like I am walking up the hills again.”

Brian Wilson, who works in Sight Scotland Veterans’ Linburn Centre, is also seeing, first-hand, how VR is having a huge impact on the centre users.

Brian comments: “In many instances, it enables veterans to see again, which is just amazing. As the screens are very close to their eyes, and includes large, bold images, it helps people with low vision see better and up close.

“Some of them find it quite overwhelming the first time they experience it. It opens up a whole new world to a person with a visual impairment.

“It is fully immersive and allows them to completely forget about the outside world. They can forget about their eye condition or any other problems or stresses they have and just relax and enjoy the experience.”

For more information, please visit https://sightscotlandveterans.org.uk