COIMBATORE: A new methodology of using third generation robotic mannequins instead of patients in imparting medical education has come into being at PSG Institute of Medical Science and Research here on Saturday. This is the first in India, according to PSG medical college director Dr Vimal Kumar Govindan.
Addressing media persons here, Govindan said the innovative way of using 3G mannequins to teach medicos on how to treat patients would be accessible to all the 2,000 students of its group institutions from now onwards. The mannequins made of Norwegian technology would respond to medical care as the same way as that of an actual patient, said Govindan.
"The 3G technology will be enough to help students to learn the first lessons on treating patients. They can also get training on emergency procedures starting from injections to many of the serious cardiac and other health issues over the mannequins," he added.
The mannequins are being made in such a way to have practical training on accident care, maternity care and other medical emergency care. The students can conduct the procedures on these models and the teachers could comfortably explain the corrections, without having embarrassing them in front of patients.
"The major factor which comes as a relief to both the students as well as the patients is that, the students will not have to learn in front of the patients who definitely feel uncomfortable," said Dr S Ramalingam, the principal of the PSG medical college.
The whole idea according to Dr G Dhanabhagyam, the co-ordinator of the programme, is that they have great expectations on the output as they have methodologies to create and monitor the processes.
"From a nearby room, the faculties will be with the help of computers creating medical situations on the 'patient' models. The students will then have to respond with the right procedure. The monitor kept adjacent to the 'patient' connected with the wires will show the recordings as in actual situations. So students can easily understand the various situations they are into and later easily evaluate them," according to Dr G Dhanabhagyam.
The electronic models are equipped in such a way that 'emergency situations' can be created with the computerized mechanisms prompting students to respond appropriately. Mannequins to teach various usual issues were installed.
"There are models for delivery to all the usual everyday emergencies which a medical professional have to encounter routinely," told Dr P Jayakrishnan, an anesthetist. He accepted that the technology will be limited with many of the routine issues faced by the medicos.
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