University of Liverpool -
Waterhouse Building - Simulated Ward

Requirements

Following on from our successful installation of the clinical skills training system in the first floor of the Cedar House building, we were asked to provide a similar solution in the newly refurbished simulation and teaching area in the nearby Waterhouse building.

The main requirements of the project included:

• HD Cameras to be positioned at the bottom of each of the 4 beds in the ward, along with an overview camera in the corner of the room
• HD Cameras to be provided in the multipurpose/teaching area to enable recording to take place when in use as either a simulation space or for de-briefings
• Microphones positioned at each bed and other locations in the ward, with further microphones positioned in the teaching area to capture audio throughout the simulation area
• The ability to view live streams and playback any recordings on the system from both the ward and the teaching area
• The ability to view and capture the vital signs generated from a manikin simulator at each bed in the ward
• Audio talkback solution to allow the comms room to communicate to each bed area via speaker
• A phone system to allow calls to be made and captured during a scenario between the simulation spaces and the control room

The Solution

• 5 x cSkills 1080p PTZ cameras were installed in the ward area allowing a variety of view positions around the room and of each of the 4 bed areas. The wide viewing angle of the cameras allows those positioned at the bottom of the bed to capture all of the desired action taking place around the bed from within the boundary of the curtain
• Drop down microphones were connected back to a digital mixer to capture the audio in high quality, and allow the user to fine tune, mute or solo any microphone or phone inputs
• Each bed area has a cSkills vital signs interface which allows the user to make a connection from manikin simulator output on a laptop, tablet, iPad etc. into the interface box. The ops screen can then be viewed and captured into the cSkills system and streamed/recorded alongside the camera footage
• A talkback solution comprises of 4 x speakers mounted at the head of each bed and in the teaching area. The operator in the control can use a microphone to act as the voice of the patient, in addition to playing background audio to provide a more immersive experience
• A phone system allows a call to be placed between ward, teaching area and control room, with all calls fed into the audio mix allowing them to be streamed and recorded
• A cSkills video interface was provided in the control room and teaching area. This makes the video and audio feeds from the system available to broadcast over the users preferred online meeting platform such as Microsoft Teams
• The ward and teaching area were fitted with audio visual equipment in the form of a projector and large format touch screen. We installed a cSkills Stream Viewer PC into both rooms so that any camera, vital signs feed, and accompanying audio can be viewed live or any recording played back

Summary

The brand new ward and teaching areas now have a system capable of video capture, live viewing, and recording playback to aid their simulation and training. Various camera groups (up to 4 cameras or streams) were configured for each bed area and the teaching space. These groups can be viewed in full screen, picture in picture or quad split, providing a flexible range of viewing options. The users can stream from ward areas to the teaching room or vice versa. All acquired video footage can be viewed providing the user with the full cycle of capture, live viewing and post-simulation review.

The modularity of the cSkills system leaves scope for further expansion in the future, with the ability to integrate additional sources as any additional recording requirements arise.