The Medstrom Academy image

Marrying together clinical innovation, evidence-based practice and education, Medstrom has unveiled its new facility – The Medstrom Academy.

This purpose-built space showcases Medstrom’s range of solutions that focus on meeting patient and caregiver needs in challenging clinical situations.

Working closely with hospitals throughout the UK and Ireland, the healthcare company provides innovative products and specialists services that have been proven to help improve patient outcomes. This has supported the collaboration and education around the challenges posed by pressure area care, immobility, falls prevention, safe mobilisation and plus-sized patients.

Deborah Newcombe, Clinical Director for Medstrom, was heavily involved in the launch of The Medstrom Academy and noted: “Over the last year we have been working hard to create an educational centre that marries clinical challenges with evidence and solutions, to create an unforgettable and immersive experience. It is really exciting to be able to share such a unique space with our colleagues throughout the healthcare sector!”

Clinically led content

The Medstrom Academy imageMedstrom Academy is divided between four different clinical challenges, with each area exploring the financial and physical impacts felt by the NHS and its patients. These areas include pressure ulcers, immobility, falls and safe mobilisation, and plus-sized patients. Each area is supported with industry evidence and statistics, referenced using credible sources such as clinical journals and articles.

Deborah added: “Using referenced materials ensures we align as closely as possible to the clinical objectives of our visitors. We encourage people to use the Medstrom Academy as an educational tool.

“Coupled with the launch of our CPD accredited courses that we can deliver in the Academy, we hope our new centre will become a helpful part of visitors’ professional development.”

Importantly, in each area there are various interactive elements on display throughout the learning space, including empathy suits. According to Deborah, the empathy suits are intended to enable people to understand the clinical challenges that the NHS faces every day.

She said: “Being a very practical learner myself, having the ability to experience a condition, situation or condition from a patient’s perspective, makes learning far more impactful.

“There are two suits available to achieve this, one for visitors to experience frailty via an age-simulation suit, and the other to experience body morphology via a plus-sized patient suit. For example, with the help of the age simulation suit, visitors can experience first-hand decreased mobility and diminished physical senses, such as hearing and sight.

“Altogether, it puts into perspective the challenges that older patients face, and the increased risks associated with simple tasks such as mobilising from a bed safely. By putting visitors in the patient’s perspective, we can then educate how to use products correctly, and demonstrate why selecting the right specification of equipment, such as a bedframe, is so important for both the patient and the caregiver.”

An interactive experience

The Medstrom Academy Amazon Alexa technology image

The open layout of The Medstrom Academy means that visitors can choose which parts of the academy they want to focus on.

In addition, the academy makes use of Amazon Alexa technology, which has been programmed to answer questions that are distributed throughout the various clinical areas. For instance, a visitor could ask: ‘Alexa, where did the name Dolphin Therapy come from?’

This allows visitors to learn independently whilst exploring The Academy at their leisure, says Medstrom.

Free-to-use meeting space

Marrying together clinical innovation, evidence-based practice and education, Medstrom has unveiled its new facility – The Medstrom Academy image

Medstrom is also offering the upstairs meeting space within the academy as a free venue for recognised groups such as NBE, TVS, critical care networks and NHS Trusts. Located close to the East Midlands Airport and with local railway links, the centre offers an ideal location for regional study days or hosting events in its spacious seating area.

To view The Medstrom Academy or to use it for an event, contact 0845 371 1717, speak to your local Medstrom representative or visit www.medstrom.com for more information

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