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.
Australian Associated Press

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.