Technology
Technology
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park ( middle ) was joined by NSW Premier Chris Minns ( left ) at the Royal North Shore Hospital . Picture : NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short
‘ Essential practice ’
VR stroke training in first critical minutes for NSW nurses
By Arshmah Jamal
Emergency department nurses across New South Wales are set to benefit from a new virtual reality ( VR ) training program about stroke care .
Developed by the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation and the Centre for Advanced Training Systems at the University of Newcastle , the program will enable ED nurses to train in a realistic environment without real-world risks .
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park officially launched the program at Royal North Shore Hospital , in October .
“ A total of 27 VR headsets have been distributed to regional , rural , and metropolitan hospitals , with a focus on smaller hospitals where staff may have limited exposure to stroke presentations ,” Mr Park said .
“ Stroke is a time-critical medical emergency , and this technology will help to improve outcomes for people presenting with stroke .”
“ It ’ s really pleasing to see this innovative technology being used to train nurses .”
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The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimated that 1.6 per cent of the population have experienced a stroke .
In 2020-21 , there were around 67,900 hospitalisations , and stroke was the underlying cause of 4.9 per cent of all deaths .
The program will run in 27 hospitals , with 21 located in major rural and regional centres . Six hospitals – Royal Prince Alfred , Prince of Wales , St Vincent ’ s , Royal North Shore , Blue Mountains , and Lithgow – will take part in the program .
Program director Professor Rohan Walker said fast response and treatment times were essential in saving lives and improving recovery .
“ The aim of the training is to increase awareness of nursing processes in hyper-acute management and emphasise the critical importance of effective communication and team coordination in the first 24 hours after stroke ,” Professor Walker said .
“ By simulating real-time scenarios , the TACTICS VR training program gives emergency nurses essential practice in how to handle those first critical minutes when a patient presents with stroke .”
“ This VR training is particularly critical in rural , regional and remote areas where there is a greater chance of less
“ This VR training is particularly critical in rural , regional and remote areas where there is a greater chance of less experienced staff treating stroke patients
experienced staff treating stroke patients , where they treat fewer stroke cases and have limited access to high-quality training .”
NSW Health clinical innovation and research deputy secretary , and chief of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation , Dr Jean-Frédéric Levesque said the training was an opportunity for local regional hospitals to provide the best care .
“ 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 ,” Dr Levesque said .
“ This new training program complements the successful NSW Telestroke Service , which uses video consultation to provide people living in rural and regional NSW with rapid access to specialist stroke diagnoses and treatment .” ■