International Cooperation
Surgical cases review
After creation, 6 VP surgery cases, ZSMU’s medical teachers exchanged cases for peer-review procedure. One of the cases (Bacterial complications after surgery) was also sent for external review to Jonathan Round, SGUL University, author of the paediatric VP cases. According to the recommendations the cases were reconsidered.
Comments of J. Round on VP case #5 “Bacterial complications after surgery”
Case description
The case focusses on the evaluation of a lady representing after an episode of peritonitis. She has sepsis secondary to an abdominal abscess and develops multi organ failure. She also has a chest infection with signs and a past history of pyelonephritis. Correct management involves surgical drainage of the abcess.
There is good detail of the patient allows the player to understand the presentation. I would suggest that the patient is not given a year of birth, just an age, so that the details are still accurate in the future.
The situation is realistic and important and the level would suit a trainee doctor or perhaps an advanced student.
There is good use of time in the scenario, but i was not always clear who the player is acting as and what the setting is.
Comment
The scenario works well at introducing error into the virtual patient, and there is an excellent comments page at the end. I was impressed by the ability for the player to make an error yet still recover.
Each page is quite long, and so it suits a tutorial format well. If this were to be used for individual study, then shorter pages with less text on may help.
Suggestions for Development
The core of the scenario is excellent and the choices and consequences good - these do not need to be changed. I would suggest interventions that make the virtual patient more real for the player - perhaps description of the patient, other interests she has and interactions with the staff. All of these would personalise the patient and make it more real.
