Salisbury VA Health Care System uses virtual reality technology to train staff
In this fast-paced 21st century world, where technology is ever-changing and growing to improve our everyday lives, Salisbury VA Health Care System is keeping up with the times.
Salisbury VA Health Care System was recently selected as one of 10 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities across the nation participating in a national virtual reality (VR) all-staff education training titled “Moments that Matter.”
This program, which is still in its pilot stage, ran from March 1 to 31, 2023. Sessions were held at the W.G. (Bill) Hefner Medical Center in Salisbury, North Carolina.
In the training, participants don VR equipment, including a VR headset and remote controllers for each hand, for a duration of about 90 minutes. There is an introduction and three clinical scenario modules for each participant to train on.
The VR experience is primarily focused on simulating a Veteran’s discharge experience as they leaving the VA following a hospital stay.
Trainees move through the modules as a ‘patient’ and experience truly unique immersion, giving staff an individual perspective into an array of emotions a Veteran may be experiencing as they leave the medical center – from happy to neutral, confused, or even frustrated.
“It shows how fragmented the discharge process can be and how frustrating that can be for a patient,” said Gina Reed, the ALS/BLS REdI Program and Simulation & SLICE Program Director at the Salisbury VA Health Care System.
The simulation also utilizes the Veterans Experience Office’s (VEO) Patient Discharge Checklist, a tool clinicians and staff use to help standardize communication throughout the discharge experience.
“The possibilities with this type of cutting-edge technology in the health care setting appear endless, and I personally feel VR will revolutionize not only the patient experience, but also staff experience, education, and training,” said Dr. Kamran Lateef, chief of hospital medicine at the Salisbury VA.
The training experience was created by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL) in collaboration with the VEO.
The educational opportunity is designed to inform and empower staff and, ultimately, improve the inpatient experience at VA medical centers. Empathy is the main concept the creators and facilitators of the experience want users to walk away thinking about.
“This training is invaluable for serving our Veterans,” added Reed. “Veterans’ words and thoughts and what they were going through helped to create the scenarios. So, this helps to empower us to know how to better educate the Veterans and how to make their transition from the hospital to home better.”
For more information on VR programs at the Salisbury VA, email the Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs at salisburyvapublicaffairs@va.gov.
At Salisbury VA Health Care System, our mission is to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors. Learn more at https://www.va.gov/salisbury-health-care/.