Chulalongkorn University Launches "ER-VIPE," a VR Innovation for Interprofessional Emergency Team Training to Enhance Patient Safety

BANGKOK, Aug. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Because Every Minute in the ER Matters, the Chulalongkorn University Design for Society Center (CUD4S), in collaboration with the Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital of the Thai Red Cross Society, has launched the "ER-VIPE" (Emergency Room – Virtual Interprofessional Education), an innovative medical education tool.  Chulalongkorn University Launches “ER-VIPE,” a VR Innovation for Interprofessional Emergency Team Training to Enhance Patient Safety Using virtual simulation technology, ER-VIPE is designed to train interprofessional teams—doctors, nurses, pharmacists, radiologic technologists, and more—for handling emergency patients. The goal is to improve teamwork, communication, and patient safety while minimizing human errors.  The launch was accompanied by the academic forum "ER-VIPE: Developing Healthcare Teams for Sustainable Patient Safety" and the TeamSTEPPS Essential and IPE Virtual Simulation Workshop (Cohort 2) held on August 4, 2025, at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. The event was presided over by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chanchai Sittipunt, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Director of the hospital.  Innovation That Combines Heart, Head, and Hands  Asst. Prof. Dr. Khuansiri Narajeenron, Director of Academic Affairs, Emergency Medicine Department, and Project Leader, described ER-VIPE as a "Med-Edutainment Technology" that merges: HEART – Inspirational film content  HEAD – Medical knowledge via MOOC  HAND – Interactive simulation-based gameplay  This educational design offers realistic emergency scenarios to build team-based non-technical skills using the TeamSTEPPS framework (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety). It supports interprofessional collaboration (IPC) so that health professionals can communicate, make decisions, and act effectively under pressure.  "Patient care doesn’t depend on who is the most skilled—it depends on how well the team works together. Studies show that most medical errors are not due to a lack of knowledge but due to poor teamwork." – Asst. Prof. Dr. Khuansiri Narajeenron  Addressing a Critical National Issue  Thailand sees over 400,000 cases/year of unsafe medical care.  Economic loss exceeds 9.6 billion baht annually.  Globally, deaths from medical errors are 10,000 times higher than airplane crashes.  The ER-VIPE system allows healthcare professionals to train in a safe, virtual environment without endangering real patients. Participants receive feedback and performance analysis via digital tools.  Research findings: Reduces medical errors by an average of 3.5 cases/month Decreases patient deaths by 2.3 cases/month  Increases patient satisfaction by nearly 1% monthly  CUD4S and Chula Promote National Expansion  Dr. Tatsawan Preedawiphat, Director of CUD4S, emphasized that design isn’t just about architecture—it’s also about systems that improve lives. ER-VIPE, as a social enterprise model, integrates healthcare, education, and technology to address systemic healthcare safety gaps.  Piloted in five hospitals, the program showed: 28% improvement in communication  38 fewer critical errors in ER scenarios  Significant reduction in staff burnout  National Policy Discussions: Toward "Zero Harm 2030"  The event marked the first forum gathering leaders from nine major health professional organizations to discuss scaling ER-VIPE to a national health system level: Training in all healthcare institutions  MOUs with key organizations  Nationally recognized continuing education credits (CME, CNE, etc.)  Inclusion in health sciences higher education curriculum  Nine participating professional organizations: The Medical Council of Thailand  The Nursing Council  The Pharmacy Council  The Medical Technology Council  The Radiological Technology Council  The Division of Medical Facilities, Ministry of Public Health  The College of Emergency Physicians of Thailand  The Hospital Administrators Association  The Healthcare Accreditation Institute  They collectively agreed that interprofessional teamwork and communication are crucial to patient safety, and fragmented systems and communication breakdowns are major causes of errors—not individual incompetence.  A Path Toward Safer Healthcare  The panel proposed national adoption of TeamSTEPPS and Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) principles, integrated into: Health Service Plans Professional training  Hospital Accreditation (HA) standards  They also urged the government to support policy and resources for sustainable improvement in patient care and workforce well-being.  Contact Information  Chulalongkorn University Design for Society (CUD4S) Tel: 0-2218-4316 Line OA: @cud4sEmail: contact@cud4s.ac.th Website: http://www.ervipe.com  Read the full article and view photos at https://www.chula.ac.th/en/news/254983/  About Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University has made the world’s top 50 university list for employment outcomes, which reflects both the high employment rate and work ability of Chula graduates. The university is also listed as the best in Thailand for the 15th Consecutive Year (since 2009), according to the newly released QS World University Rankings 2024, putting Chula at 211th in the world, up from 244th last year. Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChulalongkornUniversityYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/chulauniversityLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/15101896/
Source: prnasia