A fully interactive and free virtual reality app, designed to train doctors and students in emergency room techniques, has been launched by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
The software simulates the management of a patient in the period following a road traffic accident.
It is claimed to be the world's first VR app capable of carrying out this kind of training and is available on the Oculus platform for Samsung Gear VR.
During the simulation, the program puts doctors and students in the shoes of an Emergency Department trauma leader.
In real time they are prompted to assess the patient and make treatment decisions around procedures.
The app is publicly available, and has been downloaded more than 65,000 times since it was previewed on the Samsung Gear VR app store in May.
The RCSI sees it as an affordable alternative method of training students and doctors where expensive simulators are not available to them.
It is currently exploring whether it would work as a means of training people in places with limited resources, like sub-Saharan Africa.
The app also has an interactive alternative mode for the non-medical user, including guides and explanations for each step.
