Doctoral Student Develops VR Blood Transfusion Training App

January 14, 2025

A first-of-its-kind virtual reality app developed by Laura Eastwood, a clinician scientist and Manchester Metropolitan doctoral student, seeks to enhance blood transfusion training for biomedical scientists within the United Kingdom’s NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

Created in collaboration with Make Real Ltd., the “NHSBT – Crossmatching” app simulates a crossmatch test in a virtual laboratory. It enables users to test blood samples, select compatible units, and interact with virtual patients to understand the clinical context of their decisions. The system also incorporates a handset that replicates the experience of handling items such as blood samples and pipettes.

After being piloted at Manchester Metropolitan's School of Digital Arts, the app is now used in approximately 50 hospitals and NHSBT blood centers across England and Wales. It was recently named a finalist for the XR Health Care Solution of the Year at the Eighth International XR Awards and received recognition for its application in medical procedure training.

“Although a lot of people may not be familiar with biomedical scientists, they have a really important role in health care. If you’ve ever had a blood test, biopsy or a blood transfusion, a biomedical scientist will have helped you,” said Eastwood.

“To make sure patients get the best service, we need to make sure training is effective and easy to deliver, especially when working in challenging health care environments. The study has shown that VR has the potential to be an excellent training tool and we’ve been really pleased to have engagement from Manchester Metropolitan and hospitals across England and Wales.”