Meet Derek, the virtual reality patient who’s hostile and aggressive – but safe
An immersive computer simulation program aims to teach medical professionals how to deal with aggressive patients.
Most doctors would have encountered a Derek – a threatening, possibly intoxicated, drug-affected, or enraged patient, threatening physical violence.
Derek’s the star of an immersive simulation program developed at WA’s Edith Cowan University, designed to help frontline medical professionals learn to cope with aggressive patients.
The program offers doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical workers first-hand experience in de-escalating tension without being in harm’s way.
Using the program’s Immersive Violence and Aggression De-escalation Experience (IVADE) technology, participants wear virtual reality goggles or play via a desktop computer, where they are confronted by the agitated patient.
