University News Last updated 07 September 2010
Birmingham City University is offering people the opportunity to learn how to check their blood pressure, care for a poorly infant and save lives.
The University’s Faculty of Health will be allowing members of the public to try out some of its hi-tech equipment used to teach its healthcare students. The drop-in Interactive Health MOT Event is part of British Science Festival and is being held at Millennium Point on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 September between 10am-2pm. The free exhibition will include:
SimBaby – an extremely life-like infant patient simulator which is used to teach student children’s nurses how to monitor babies;
SimMan 3G simulation – a state-of-the-art patient simulator which is used by nurses to practice their clinical skills before they work with real patients. Visitors will be taught to check SimMan for vital signs.
Virtual Case Creator, which is software that stimulates a wide range of health conditions to test students’ decision making skills; for this exhibition the spotlight will be on will be speech and language therapy and nursing.
VIRTUAR – a web-based programme that teaches healthcare professionals how to safely handle and move patients. Visitors will have the opportunity to check whether they are moving a patient correctly, causing minimum risk of injury.
On offer will be the chance for visitors to have a health check-up by Faculty of Health staff and receive a nutritional evaluation and advice.
The exhibits will be supervised by the University’s staff and students and are designed to be fun for anyone who wants to participate. However there is a serious side to the attractions as this project addresses the Science Festival theme by promoting a greater awareness of both what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, and how science and technology can enable people to assess and self monitor health and well-being.