University of Dundee - Dow Clinical Simulation Suite

Requirements

The Clinical Skills Centre within the University of Dundee Medical School provides simulation based training to medical and nursing students. The new state of the art Dow Clinical Simulation Suite officially opened in 2011, with Cameron Communications providing the audio visual and recording technology that supports it.

The main requirements of the project included:

• Complete camera and microphone coverage throughout the suite in areas including, 6 bed ward area, high dependency unit, examination rooms
• The ability to record the walkthrough of a student’s journey through the suite
• Integration with Laerdal manikin simulator to record vital signs feed alongside the video
• The functionality to do live previews and playback debriefings throughout the facility
• Management software to provide collation and audit of student details and practicals\exercises that have been recorded
• Web portal for upload and playback of video clips by staff and students

Fixed Camera Solution

26 PTZ cameras were fitted in total, providing complete coverage of the suite including the ward area, the high dependency unit, the nurse’s stations, the examination rooms, corridor areas and more. In addition to this, overhead gooseneck microphones were installed to capture audio, ensuring that a student’s complete journey through the suite can be captured no matter where they go.

Linking the complete system together, and providing full control of all relevant hardware is our cSkills software which is operated centrally from a dedicated control room.

Below are some of the key features implemented in the system:

• Pan\tilt\zoom cameras with programmable presets allow complete coverage of the skills lab
• Touchscreen is used to enter student ID and invoke recording
• Touchscreen features map layout of the suite, allowing user to touch a specific area of the suite and view and/or control that camera
• High Dependency Unit recorder capable of integrating vital signs feed from Laerdal Sim Man simulator. The vital signs can be overlayed ‘picture in picture’ style on top of the video clip
• Desktop student management software, allowing tutors or technicians to assign a student or a group to a particular exercise or practical
• De-brief room fitted with interactive whiteboard and projector, where both live and recorded footage can be viewed
• Recordings can be stored and backed up locally, and/or uploaded to a web server. Students or staff can log in to the web portal to view recordings from any location with an Internet connection

Support, Expansion and Further Developments

Throughout the initial project and beyond, we have continued to work closely with the Clinical Skills Centre, and have tried to help ensure the many facets of the system continue to operate reliably and effectively. The ongoing service that we offer includes onsite engineer call-outs, replacement equipment, and remote support.

As well as continued hardware support, we have made numerous changes to the software as the centre's needs have adapted and as the teaching process has been tailored in order to integrate seamlessly with their recording equipment.

Some of changes that have been introduced since the beginning of the project are as follows:

• The supply and installation of 3 x cSkills portable recording systems. These have been integrated and linked to the management software, with the ability to carry out local quick recordings or recordings to the main system
• The provision of our Freeway Digital Signage solution, with large format displays around the centre that can be used to quickly and easily change and display class information
• The development of software assessment forms, that assessors can use in place of the traditional paper based assessments and build an electronic portfolio of student assessments that are linked to the video recordings