PASS-IT – PAtient Saftey aS Inter-Professional Training – Using Mixed Reality

Overview

PASS-IT has been useful in engaging students in active learning through serious gaming. It is welldesigned to cater to the learning needs and learning habits of the current generation of students.

Students’ responses demonstrated significant improvement in their understanding of patient safety (all p<0.05). Surgery students showed that all aspects of their experience using VR PASS-IT tool received a median above 4.21 to 4.54 (out of 5). In addition, anaesthesia students demonstrated stark improvement in their understanding of anaesthesia and surgical safety in the OT (all p<0.05). Results from the Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire III (APSQ-III questionnaire) demonstrated that the learners had significant improvement in the level of understanding in most domains of patient safety.

The launch of PASS-IT happened during COVID-19 pandemic which was timely as the OTs which are identified as “high-risk” areas were inaccessible for training. With the OT out of bounds to the students, they would miss the opportunity to learn the aspects of Surgery in the real environment. Thus, we organized lessons in the VR labs where students got to learn patient safety through gaming in virtual reality. Much resources had to be assigned to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 safety
measures (mask, sanitization, safe distancing etc). However, based on the students’ positive responses, these proved to be fruitful. Students appreciated the opportunity to learn and experience the OT environment. The PASS-IT VR program provided the means for a universal patient safety education to continue in an environment which is authentic yet safe.