Stan the robot man

Stan and his family of robot patients are helping clinicians hone their skills in a newly opened medical training centre in Scotland.

The Scottish Clinical Simulation Centre at Forth Valley Royal Hospital lets NHS staff and students train to improve their techniques on life-like hi-tech mannequins in simulated operating theatres.

The training robots include ‘Stan’, who can respond to anaesthetic gases and is used to train anaesthetists. He is the only of his kind in Scotland.

Another resident is ‘Reg’, who is used to train emergency clinicians. He has a heartbeat, can give blood and tell his doctors what symptoms he is having.

There is also a baby who cries ‘real’ tears, two children and a pregnant woman. The robots are operated by computers and respond to the treatment being given.

Dr Genevieve Lowe, a senior specialist registrar in anaesthesia at NHS Forth Valley, said she had gained a lot from the centre and it was a “fantastic addition for medical training.”

Scottish health secretary Alex Neil said: “Stan, Reg and the rest of the family are brilliant.

“Reg was even able to tell me how he was feeling – we had a good chat and I am glad to hear the students here are treating him well.

“Our NHS is moving with the times and taking advantage of new technologies so we can provide the best care ever for patients.”

The centre, which opened this month, will run courses in most specialties throughout the year.

The director of the centre, Dr Michael Moneypenny, said the goal was to improve patient safety by using simulation-based education.

“Feedback from course participants has been extremely positive with staff reporting that they feel more confident and skilled in how they apply their knowledge, particularly in managing medical emergencies, which ultimately benefits patients.”