Emeritus Professor Jennifer Chipps, Digital Health Chair in Community Health Sciences.

As a member of the public making use of local hospitals, you may be thinking that virtual reality and artificial intelligence are foreign concepts for the near future. Still, truth be spoken: if your nurse has been trained at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and has qualified in the last two years, they are very likely to have received additional training by utilising artificial intelligence and virtual reality.  

Practically speaking, the students use headsets that allow them to be players in a movie set in what looks like a well-resourced private hospital.

In wearing these headsets, students can experience different scenarios - a patient having either a heart attack, a stroke or a trauma patient in need of urgent medical attention.

Students get used to the stressful impact of real-life practical scenarios in which they learn to address most medical scenarios, with all the normal blood pressure and heart monitoring systems available in the virtual reality space as you would find it in a medical hospital.

Emeritus Professor Jennifer Chipps, Digital Health Chair in Community Health Sciences, said in her experience as a nursing educator at UWC she has witnessed firsthand the transformative potential of integrating virtual reality (VR) into our nursing curriculum. 

“Our collaboration with the University of Missouri has opened new avenues for what is called immersive learning. The students can use realistic clinical scenarios in a controlled, virtual environment.

“The power of VR in our nursing programme marks a significant milestone. During a recent demonstration, I experienced the VR setup myself. The simulation transported me to a virtual hospital with nursing staff, doctors, and patients. The realism was astounding, and it was easy to forget that I was in a lecture room and not an actual clinic.

“Our students, like third-year nursing student Nnenna Osondo, have found the VR simulations incredibly beneficial. Nnenna described her experience as an emergency nurse in the VR environment, where she managed multiple patients and responded to critical situations. This hands-on approach enhances their learning experience, making them better prepared for the real world,” said Prof Chipps.

The integration of AI in healthcare is not limited to VR simulations. Globally, AI is revolutionising various aspects of healthcare, from diagnostics to patient care.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been at the forefront of promoting AI in healthcare through initiatives like the Global Initiative on AI for Health (GI-AI4H). This initiative aims to establish robust governance structures and policies to ensure the ethical and effective use of AI in healthcare.

“Furthermore, AI-assisted surgeries can significantly reduce hospital stays and healthcare costs and it improves accuracy with diagnosis with AI models outperforming human doctors in some cases. The global AI healthcare market has seen exponential growth, projected to reach $188 billion by 2030,” said Prof Chipps.

She believes South Africa is also making strides in adopting AI in healthcare. According to the Future Health Index 2024 report, South African healthcare leaders are ahead of the global average in implementing AI for clinical decision support and remote patient monitoring. This includes mental healthcare, post-operative monitoring, and chronic disease management.