The recently released statistics on the rise of preventable medical errors in Canadian hospitals are alarming. New concerning data shows the number of “preventable” medical errors in Canadian hospitals grew for the third straight year, with an estimated 145,000 Canadians who sought treatment ending up with a preventable injury or illness as a result of their stay. As a company dedicated to improving patient outcomes, these statistics demonstrate we still have work to do, and we believe extended reality (XR) simulations can play a key role in reversing this trend.

Surgical errors are a major contributor, with clinical misjudgement and lack of technical competence being the top causes. Though simulations are proven to reduce errors, cost and access are barriers to the wider adoption of traditional simulators. Our XR surgical simulations offer a lower-cost, highly accessible alternative that can reduce errors by up to 600%.

Diagnostic errors are another major issue, usually stemming from clinical misjudgement due to insufficient training. XR medical simulations allow for repeated diagnostic practice in life-like scenarios, building clinical judgment skills in a low-stakes environment. This leads to better outcomes when diagnosing real patients.

Medication errors are also far too common, frequently caused by inadequate training and experience. XR nurse training simulations build expertise through repeated practice in common scenarios. This results in fewer mistakes when administering real medications.

The technology for effective XR training already exists, so why hasn’t it been more widely adopted? We recognise the challenges of high development costs, technical complexity, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and lack of clinician input.

That’s why we’ve invested heavily in developing a platform that dramatically simplifies XR content creation and revision. Our simulations are designed hand-in-hand with clinical experts, and we handle all the technical complexity behind the scenes. This allows hospitals to easily create customised XR training tailored to their needs.

The rising number of preventable medical errors is unacceptable, but XR training provides a cost-effective, engaging solution. At i3 Simulations, we’re committed to making our platform accessible to hospitals and medical schools everywhere. Let’s work together to ensure the next generation of healthcare providers has the skills and confidence to provide the best possible care.