Simulator will train students to use radiotherapy machines confidently

For medical students, the thought of handling equipment worth millions for the first time can lead to sleepless nights. Students of Radiotherapy at the Kingston University and St George’s University of London, though, can heave a sigh of relief. The benefits of simulation in medicine are now well known, and these students will leverage these through the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) suite. The software primarily allows them to handle a linear accelerator treatment machine in a virtual environment. In addition to this, they can view cancer spots on a patient’s body and learn about the accurate radiation dosages. A real machine costs a whopping £2 million and is typically used to kill cancer cells with high-voltage X-rays. Getting trained through VERT reduces the cost implication and also helps students hone their handling skills before getting to operate a real machine.

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Pricing and Availability: The pricing of VERT isn’t publicly available, but we hear the virtual linear accelerator machine costs £300,000.

Watch This: “Handle with care” signboards always freak people out. So, when medical students can lay their hands on a virtual machine with lesser precautions, it is always delightful. It not only reduces the pressure of handling an expensive machine, but also gives them a first-hand feel and knowledge of how to operate the machine before they actually get to do it in reality.

Word around the Web:

The writer at Medicexchange says:

Prior to its development, radiotherapy training was severely limited and the only option for practicing skills was on real patients, increasing the potential for mistakes.

The writer from Cardiff says:

It is envisaged that students would be in a ‘training’ set-up similar to that of the real clinical situation, the benefit of which would be a greater amount of time available to practice than may sometimes be possible within a busy clinical environment.

Via: Kingston