Laerdal Medical and Wolters Kluwer Health Introduce Virtual Simulation Learning Tool for Nursing Students

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry, and Laerdal Medical, one of the leading providers of simulation solutions for healthcare, today introduced vSim for Nursing™, an online learning solution they co-developed that simulates curriculum-driven patient scenarios.  The product integrates Laerdal's leading-edge virtual simulation technology with Wolters Kluwer Health's curriculum expertise and rich Lippincott course materials entrusted by nursing educators. The product was unveiled and demonstrated at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) conference.

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"There's a huge unmet need for improved clinical education and for interactive activities in the classroom that are focused on patient-centered care," said Susan Driscoll, President and CEO, Wolters Kluwer Health, Professional & Education.  "The new vSim for Nursing product provides an interactive learning experience that helps nursing educators promote better and safer patient care, and ensures nursing students are ready to practice.  This is the first simulation solution to provide readily available clinical practice with fully integrated learning resources that are closely tied to the nursing school curriculum."

Accessed online, vSim for Nursing simulates a patient encounter using computer-animated avatars that allow nursing students to access and practice patient care anytime and anywhere.  The "virtual" simulation environment helps build competence by introducing nursing students to realistic scenarios where they are responsible for making a variety of clinical reasoning decisions.  The simulator reacts to each patient-care decision and tracks these actions so that they can be reviewed and measured with personalized feedback after the scenario.  The post-scenario report is then stored for reflection and continued learning.  By allowing repetitive practice, students can build their confidence and competence in a safe environment.

"Educators have long been requesting the integration of simulation and classroom content," said Clive Patrickson, Chief Executive Officer, Laerdal Medical, "and when combined with virtual simulation, they have, in their hands, new power to transform healthcare education."

The first available product in the vSim for Nursing product line features 10 virtual simulation patients, each representing a different scenario based on the Volume 1 Complex Care Medical-Surgical scenarios developed and endorsed by the National League for Nursing (NLN) as critical knowledge areas for all nursing students. 

"The League is pleased to have contributed to this critical new product," said NLN CEO Dr. Beverly Malone.  "By working collaboratively, we better prepare nursing students for the ever increasing complexity of nursing practice and at the same time address the shortage of clinical placements."

With vSim for Nursing, the experience begins with suggested readings and a pre-simulation quiz.  Then, students are able to complete the virtual simulation, interacting online in realistic patient-nurse encounters where they can ask the patient questions, review a patient's chart and make care decisions for a specific diagnosis.  The product evaluates the student's performance and generates a personalized feedback log for each patient scenario.  Following the virtual simulation, a post-simulation quiz, documentation activities and guided reflection questions enhance the learning experience.  Throughout the learning path, students have access to SmartSense links to additional learning opportunities through real-world point-of-care content from Lippincott Advisor and Lippincott Procedures.

Designed for use throughout the nursing program, vSim for Nursing|Medical-Surgical is available for individual or institutional sales to nursing schools. Additional vSim for Nursing products are currently in development for all core undergraduate nursing courses.  It is sold as part of Lippincott CoursePoint, a total course solution that includes integrated course content and adaptive quizzing, or as a standalone product.  The product can be purchased through Laerdal Medical or Wolters Kluwer Health sales representatives, or online at: http://thepoint.lww.com/vsim.

About Laerdal Medical
Laerdal Medical, one of the world's leading providers of Healthcare Solutions, is dedicated to helping save lives with products and services for Simulation, Airway Management, Immobilization, Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, Patient Care, Self-Directed Learning, and Medical Education. Laerdal is pleased to serve all healthcare providers and educators, from the lay rescuer to the medical professionals.

About the National League for Nursing
The voice for nursing education, dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers professional development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 39,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members. NLN members represent nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education, and health care organizations and agencies.

About Wolters Kluwer Health
Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Serving more than 150 countries and territories worldwide, Wolters Kluwer Health's customers include professionals, institutions and students in medicine, nursing, allied health and pharmacy. Major brands include Health Language^®, Lexicomp^®, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Medicom^®, Medknow, Ovid^®, Pharmacy OneSource^®, ProVation^® Medical and UpToDate^®.

Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company. Wolters Kluwer had 2012 annual revenues of €3.6 billion ($4.6 billion), employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide, and maintains operations in over 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Follow our official Twitter handle: @WKHealth.

SOURCE Wolters Kluwer Health