Craigavon Hospital – Simulation Centre

Requirements

cSkills was evaluated and selected to provide audio visual and streaming technology for the Simulation Suite, in the Medical Education Department at Craigavon Hospital, Northern Ireland.

The main requirements of the included:

• Single camera and audio capture within the sim room, capturing video and audio from around the bed and the rest of the room
• The ability to view the room live back to the debrief room
• Provide the ability to view and capture the vital signs generated from the manikin simulator
• Audio talkback solution required to allow the control room to ‘talk’ via a speaker at the bed and play in background audio to replicate a real hospital ward

The Solution

• 1 x cSkills 1080p PTZ cameras was installed into the back corner of the sim room allowing a variety of views with full pan, tilt and zoom
• A single cSkills microphone array was installed above the bed. With 7 built-in mics forming a circular array and intelligent voice tracking, the single unit captures audio from all around the room keeping speech clear
• A cSkills vital signs interface is located at the head of the bed which can be used to make a connection from manikin simulator laptop, tablet, iPad etc. The resulting data generated whether it be an Ops screen, X-Ray or something else is capture and made available for live streaming and capture alongside each camera
• The talkback solution comprises a speaker (with associated cSkills audio decoder) mounted at the head the bed so that the control room operator can play in background audio or act as the voice of the manikin
• A cSkills USB encoder was provided in the control room to allow the video and audio feeds from the system to be available to broadcast over video conferencing platforms such as Microsoft Teams. Capturing the HDMI feed generated from cSkills Streamer PC, the encoder provides a simple USB connection which a NHS laptop can connect to and select the cSkills video and audio feeds
• The aging projector in the local debrief room was upgraded to a 65” LED display with cSkills streamer PC. While retaining the ability to present from an NHS PC or laptop, the user can access the cSkills Live Streaming software and pick up a picture in picture view of the camera and vital signs generated from the sim room

Summary

We worked closely with the trust ensuring both end users expectations where met, whilst adhering to I.T. protocols. Delivering the system within budget and before the end of financial year deadline, the suite now has a flexible and easy to use system to aid in simulation and training in a realistic hospital environment.