University of Portsmouth - Centre for Simulation in Healthcare

Requirements

The faculty specialises in the teaching of students in paramedics and social work sciences in the practical teaching of clinical skills simulation. We were approached to propose a system that would assist in the teaching by providing a means of acquiring video footage of various simulation exercises.

The main requirements for the system were as follows:

• Implement an easy to use system to allow multiple user to record the various simulation scenarios that take place in the ward area
• Integration with the Laerdal manikin simulator from three bed areas, so that the vital signs feed can be recorded as well as the camera feeds
• Allow the use of multiple control devices such as a tablet and a main control system for each of the 3 bed areas simultaneously
• Recordings were to take place throughout a dedicated simulation area to allow de-brief and post tagging functions from all devices
• A portable recording solution was also required to acquire video from outwith the dedicated simulation area

The Solution (Fixed System)

The existing pan tilt zoom cameras and microphones were used with new control software being implemented. The neighbouring control room has a view of the skills lab through one-way glass, and houses the main recording and control equipment.

The whole system is underpinned by our cSkills software, with a few bespoke elements built in to meet the exact and specific requirements of the client.

The main features of the fixed camera solution include:

• Pan tilt zoom cameras with programmable presets allow complete coverage of the skills lab
• Main control workstation features a simple and intuitive user interface allowing a range of functionality including camera selection, camera control, and starting/stopping of a recording
• Recordings stored on a local NAS server unit, allowing for playback from the control room, the de-brief areas or any networked desktop PC
• Recordings available instantly for playback and debrief as soon as the session is complete via the cSkills playback software
• User-definable tagging facility allows the user to mark the video at a specific point of interest. The tags will then appear alongside the video in the playback software and allows the user to quickly access that particular point of the recording at the touch of a button

The Solution (Portable System)

cSkills Portable camera systems were provided to allow users to carry out video recordings with integrated Laerdal manikin vital signs information.

The main features of the portable camera solution include:

• Height adjustable trolley allows camera to be moved around and easily setup to record in a variety of situations
• Audio capture from either or both fixed gooseneck microphone at the top of the stand, and wireless lapel microphone which can be worn
• The system is stand-alone with built in recording, which can be accessed and operated wirelessly from the included tablet PC, without the requirement to connect the hospital network
• Tablet control software provides an intuitive interface allowing simple operation for the user to record and control the camera, tag recordings and much more
• Option to integrate a manikin simulator so that the vital signs data feed can be recorded