Clinicians have worked with some of Hollywood’s top model makers to produce a world-first infant teaching tool.
Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has worked with an Oscar winning team at Elstree Film Studios to create two lifelike baby manikins – one pre-term and one full-term – that will be used in training and simulations.
They were designed by Jo Macleod, our Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and Bill Pasquier, our Resuscitation Service Manager, who then worked with the team at Lifecast Body Simulation to build the manikins.
The team from Lifecast have worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters including Saving Private Ryan, Kingsmen, Beauty and the Beast and many more.
They worked with Jo and Bill for six months to produce the manikins.
Based on scans of a 29 and 36 week babies, the manikins feature clicky hips that will allow junior doctors to practice the newborn examination. This involves the gentle manipulation of the joint to check if there are any problems.
They also have compatible airways for Advanced Life Support, allow Endotracheal tube intubation, which sees a flexible plastic
tube placed through the mouth and into the trachea, tiny visible veins for practicing taking blood and inserting a cannula, and the ability to insert an intra-osseous needle, which involves accessing the marrow of the bone in order to provide fluids and medication in an emergency situation.
Other features include life-like skin texture, realistic weight and size and true- to-life skull and jaw feel and movement.
Jo said: “The manikins will be used in resuscitation training and the training of our junior doctors, midwives and nurses.
“The clicky hip feature is fantastic and will allow us to demonstrate how to perform the newborn hip check.
“The team from Lifecast were great and I just showed the modeler the motion of checking the hips and he managed to accurately recreate it.
“The manikins will make a huge difference as they are so much more realistic and are likely to ensure that people get into the simulations and as a result get more out of the training.”
Jo Mountjoy, Chief Nurse, said: “The safety of our patients is always our paramount concern and we are committed to delivering high quality on-going training to allow our staff to develop their clinical, leadership and teamwork skills.
“Jo, Bill and the team at Lifecast have done a great job with these manikins, which are incredibly true-to-life and will play an important role in our regular training and simulations.”
Royal Surrey is currently fundraising to redevelop its Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) to give parents the opportunity to stay by their child’s side at any time – day or night.
Currently they are unable to say overnight with their babies, due to limited space, which can be distressing.
The Closer to Care campaign aims to raise £500,000. To find out more or to donate visit www.rschcharity.org.uk