TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson Medical Center, in collaboration with 3lbXR, is launching a new virtual reality training program for nurses, patient care technicians and environmental services staff.
This virtual reality platform, designed to handle high-risk and problematic tasks and work duties in a health care setting, allows for full training in a safe environment where trainees may learn from their mistakes.
This new training is part of a TMC Foundation-funded program that includes a research study with the goal of enrolling more than 200 registered nurses. The study's purpose is to evaluate nurses' confidence and competence in various clinical abilities using virtual reality training modules which helps in the efficient use of educational and human resources.
“Like other simulation education, VR has the ability to offer a safe space for practice of significant skills for numerous health care workers,” said Dr. Anissa Guzman, TMC director of Professional Practice. “Mistakes can be made without real consequences to patients, which allows for modification of practices that fall outside of expectations for safe, high-quality patient care. Repeated opportunities to work through the proper steps or processes for high-risk events provides the great opportunity for performance improvement in a virtual space that can be translated to real practice in the health care setting.”
Scenarios for nursing and environmental services workers include c. difficile sanitation, patient room cleaning, fall prevention and suicide prevention, all in an immersive virtual reality format. Rooms in the training modules mirror rooms at TMC for a realistic experience.
“With virtual reality, we build the entire environment,” said Robin Moulder, CEO 3lbXR. “I can put you in an ICU for training and with the click of a button, take you to an entirely different room and an entirely different situation.”
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Bivian Contreras is a real-time editor for KGUN 9. Bivian graduated from the University of Arizona School of Journalism with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Broadcast and is currently pursuing a degree in Broadcast Operational Meteorology. Share your story ideas and important issues with Bivian by emailing bivian.contreras@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
