Karlstad Municipality's Innovation Procurement
Introduction
ViroteaED is the result of an innovation procurement initiated by Karlstad Municipality and Digital Well Arena, where Virotea succeeded in winning the procurement. The challenge that Karlstad faced was to explore the possibilities of using digital technology to create an understanding of life with various forms of cognitive impairment. The solution sought not only to be part of staff training, enable shared experiences simultaneously for multiple individuals, and support different experiences based on different types of cognitive impairment but also to scale up and develop gradually over time.
The digital service, ViroteaED, aimed to increase staff's ability to understand and meet the needs of individuals with cognitive impairment, thereby strengthening the sense of security and trust in the caregivers of the individuals concerned.
Karlstad's strategy was to develop a solution through an agile process in close collaboration between the public and private sectors, based on real needs and with an integrated needs analysis. The resulting solution became ViroteaED, a digital competence development tool with VR as an enabler. This tool allows employees to experience and understand various forms of cognitive impairment on a deeper level, thereby improving healthcare and social care through increased understanding and quality assurance.
Challenge
Karlstad pondered how, with the help of scalable digital technology, they could make people experience what it feels like to live with different types of cognitive impairment in a way that would:
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Serve as a part of training/professional development for staff, where multiple individuals can share the same experience simultaneously.
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Contribute to a better understanding of the situation of those affected.
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Be able to support different experiences based on different types of cognitive impairment.
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Scale up and evolve in small steps.
The digital service would mean that those who participate in it gain an increased ability to make everyday life more understandable for the individuals concerned, as well as an increased ability to meet the needs of those individuals who cannot express what they want or need. This, in turn, increases and strengthens the sense of security and trust in the caregivers of the individuals concerned.
Solution
Karlstad's philosophy regarding the solution to the challenge "Experience My Reality" was that the solution needed to stem from a genuine need perceived by the public sector and be developed in an agile process in collaboration with both companies and the public sector. The service should be scalable and thus also evolve over time, with the needs analysis integrated throughout the process. The resulting solution is a digital competence development tool with VR as an enabler, supporting employees in understanding what it's like to live with different types of cognitive impairment. This contributes to a better understanding of the situation of those affected and ensures quality assurance of healthcare and social care.
Result
The result has been positive for both LSS and elderly care staff. By undergoing an interactive training, the employee experiences a 'wow' moment and perceives a completely different feeling about the training situation than in a traditional classroom setting. VR as a motivational tool is powerful because the experience provides a sensation of being in the environment and experiencing the event firsthand. The ability for several individuals to share the same experience at the same time allows for comparison of experiences, facilitating discussions about appropriate approaches, and gaining insight into how healthcare and social care can be carried out more effectively based on the experience.