by GRACE JOHNSON
Virtual reality training programs will be rolled out across the state to help emergency department nurses gain real-time experience with responding to strokes.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park officially launched the program today with a demonstration at Royal North Shore Hospital. The program will reach 27 hospitals in New South Wales.
The program, developed by the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation and the Centre for Advanced Training Systems at the University of Newcastle, will provide nurses with the opportunity to train in simulated settings without real-life risks using a virtual reality (VR) headset.
“Stroke is a time-critical medical emergency and this technology will help to improve outcomes for people presenting with stroke,” Mr Park said.
“Fast response and treatment of stroke is vital to saving lives and improving recovery.
“By simulating a real-time scenario, this training will give emergency nurses practise in how to handle those first critical minutes.”
A total of 27 VR headsets will be distributed to the hospitals, most of which are in the rural and regional areas of NSW.
The program will also run in the Sydney, Northern Sydney and South Eastern Sydney local health districts at Royal Prince Alfred, Prince of Wales, St Vincent’s and Royal North Shore hospitals.
No hospitals in western or south-western Sydney have yet been identified to take part in the program.
NSW Health Deputy Secretary Clinical Innovation and Research and Chief Executive, Agency for Clinical Innovation, Dr Jean-Frédéric Levesque, said “VR training gives patients and nurses access to best-practice stroke care, especially in regional areas where a local hospital does not receive the same volume of stroke patients as its city counterparts.”
Training will include requiring nurses to quickly gather information and make treatment decisions in real-time from the patient’s arrival through to the treatment process. Feedback will also be provided on the spot to address any incorrect decisions.
