Virtual Reality Delirium Simulated Environment

Target Audience: Government

Company: Veterans Healthcare Administration, Employee Education System

Description: The Virtual Reality Simulated Delirium Environment (VRSDE) iOS application provides a training product to physicians and Allied Health professionals who provide elder care and emergency care for Veterans experiencing delirium. The firsthand virtual (visual, audial, and haptic) delirium experience will engender empathy in healthcare professionals and provide experiential learning in the treatment of delirium. Learners will be able to recognize the symptoms of delirium from a patient point of view, the type of limitations associated with a symptom of delirium, evaluate a person for delirium, classify the type of delirium symptom a person exhibits as hypoactive, hyperactive, or mixed, and conclude with managing the behavior of a person suffering from delirium using non-pharmacological interventions.

Skills and Ideas Taught: Empathy and the ability to match another’s emotional and mental state.

Goal: Support healthcare providers in experiencing what the patient does or determining assessment criteria to recognize a patient with delirium.

Primary Audience: Physicians and Allied Health professionals

Assessment Approach: As the Learner navigates through the Virtual Reality Simulated Delirium Environment (VRSDE) experience he/she must engage with the virtual environment by selecting the appropriate action or response using a head motion selection user interface (UI) i.e. navigation buttons – these buttons are selected with gaze gestures using the TBS mechanism.

Game Engine: Unity

Operating System: iOS