THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- A new 3-D virtual reality video game can help train medical students to conduct house calls with older patients in a more effective way, according to research presented this week at the annual scientific meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Seattle.
Gustavo Duque, M.D., Ph.D., of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and colleagues created RiskDom-Geriatrics, a 3-D virtual reality video game that requires players to play against time and distractions.
The researchers found that medical students who played the game had a better understanding of how to maximize their time during home visits and assess homes for hazards that could lead to falls and other injuries.
"Although most health professionals perform home visits, there is not a structured method to perform them," Duque said in a statement. "In addition, in-training health professionals' exposure to home visits is limited due to logistical reasons. This is an innovative use of 'edutainment' in medical education, which, in fact, means learning while having fun."
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