Virtual Agents Based Simulation for Training Healthcare Workers in Hand Hygiene Procedures

The goal of our work is the design and implementation of a virtual agents based interactive simulation for teaching and training healthcare workers in hand hygiene protocols. The interactive training simulation features a virtual instructor who teaches the trainee the Five Moments of hand hygiene, recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and the World Health Organization, via instructions and demonstrations in a tutorial phase. In an interactive training phase, a virtual health care worker demonstrates by interacting with a virtual patient and the patient’s environment in ten randomly generated virtual scenarios. After watching each scenario the trainee evaluates if the virtual healthcare worker’s actions are in accordance with the Five Moments of Hand Hygiene procedure. In a feedback phase, the trainee receives feedback on their performance in the training phase after which the trainee can either exit or return to any phase of the interactive simulation. We describe the design and development of the hospital environment, simulated virtual instructor, health care worker and patient, and the interactive simulation components towards teaching and training in healthcare best practices associated with hand hygiene.