Design Process for a Virtual Simulation Environment for Training Healthcare Professionals in Geriatrics

This research covers the design of a digital simulation tool, from identification of training needs to analysis of the simulation produced by testers from a demonstration scenario. It is based on the development of a simulation tool for training caregivers in geriatrics in France, as part of a multidisciplinary research and development project known as VirtuAlz and supported by the French National Research Agency. Training needs were identified from a study of the current challenges of communicating with patients with Alzheimer’s disease or other related forms of dementia. There are two parts to the process of designing the simulation environment. First, the design of the simulation scenario builds on what caregivers actually do (from observations and interviews). Second, the design process continues through the analysis of the figurations produced during the simulation by a group of experienced and inexperienced testers. This work offers the potential of promising avenues for the design, which is being produced jointly by simulation specialists and experts from the field of simulation environments for training purposes.