Case Study

VCC helps drive smarter simulations for healthcare training

Application Characteristics

Training nursing students for real scenarios can help save lives, and high-tech manikins are a traditional approach for many healthcare education programs. However, costs often get in the way of accessibility.

A single high-tech manikin can cost $100,000, and full healthcare simulation centers may require more than $1 million to build, not including ongoing operating costs. Many nursing programs simply don’t have that kind of budget, so the students — and their future patients — may suffer.

For Otterbein University’s Nursing Department Skills Laboratory team, developing an affordable solution that didn’t sacrifice simulation capabilities was crucial. In collaboration with tech startup, edgeThingZ, Otterbein designed a solution that moved the simulation technology from the smart “dummy” to simulated medical devices that can be used on lower tech manikins as well as with human actors.

Named the Healthcare Education Simulation Station, or HESS, the solution contains numerous simulated medical devices, including a pulse oximeter, thermometer, blood pressure monitor, capnometer, glucometer, fetal monitor and a Doppler ultrasound to simulate vital signs that are important in providing diagnosis and treatment. And it does it all at a cost that virtually any nurse educator can afford.  

But before the HESS design was finalized, our clients had to find the right illuminated component. That’s where VCC came in.

Solution / Approach

The collaboration between Otterbein’s team and edgeThingZ required a lot of trial an error when developing the prototype. The clients tested solutions that included LEDs from multiple manufacturers. After working with our design team, they landed on the ideal solution — and ultraviolet LED from our VAOL Series.

VAOL Series Ultraviolet LED

VCC’s standard 5mm ultraviolet LED was the ideal solution for the innovative new product. Here’s why:

• Ideal wavelength and intensity for successful operation of the device
• 30-degree viewing angle for enhanced visibility during simulations
• High-intensity output needed for communication between the marker and the simulated medical device