Issues for DebateConsideration of using virtual reality for teaching neonatal resuscitation to midwifery students
Section snippets
Midwifery education in Australia and the role of blended learning
Historically, nursing and midwifery education has been predominantly based around public hospital training in Australia. Training for nursing usually lasted three or more years, with midwifery undertaken once nursing training had been completed. During the mid-1980s, nursing and midwifery moved out hospital-based training and into tertiary education with practical clinical experience components (Australian Government Department of Health, 2013). In 2000, the first direct-entry Bachelor of
Emergence of simulation in midwifery teaching
Within midwifery education, one of the most widely used teaching methods incorporated into blended learning environments is hands-on simulation. Simulation is an educational technique which aims to mimic elements of the real world to help achieve specific goals related to learning (Bogossian et al., 2012; Weller et al., 2012). Although simulation in healthcare education has been around in various forms for the last 40 years (Nehring and Lashley, 2009), it became a key educational strategy for
Neonatal resuscitation
Simulation is particularly important when practising skills that may be infrequently encountered in practice, such as clinical emergencies (Cooper et al., 2012). Obstetric and fetal emergencies occur at low frequencies in the clinical setting, however they carry increased risk of morbidity and mortality to women and babies (Pliego et al., 2008). A wide range of obstetric emergency scenarios can be practised using simulation methods, making this method of teaching very adaptable. One of the most
The emergence of virtual reality in emergency simulation training
One emerging form of simulation is that of virtual reality (VR). Whilst, VR has notably been around for decades, equipment was initially expensive and cumbersome to use. Within the last decade, VR technologies have become more advanced, affordable and accessible (Ferguson et al., 2015). VR simulation can be defined as one which is computer-based, interactive and three-dimensional. It is experienced through either sensory perception, physical movement and/or text or speech communication (Ludlow,
Potential benefits of VR simulation
According to Chang and Weiner (2016), VR simulation may afford benefits for emergency training due to the on-demand, user-driven method of learning, rather than relying on the preparation, personnel and scheduling necessary for hands-on simulation sessions. VR allows for increased flexibility and asynchronous learning opportunities (Ludlow, 2015; Chang and Weiner, 2016). Depending on the VR platform being used, learners can practise the simulation in their own time away from the clinical or
Potential challenges of VR simulation
As with all new teaching methods, there are potential challenges with VR that should be acknowledged. Unless a fully-immersive HMD VR simulation is used, learners are generally interacting with a computer device with 2-dimensional screen. This can impact on the fidelity experience for the learner when compared to hands-on simulation (Chang and Weiner, 2016; Ludlow, 2015). As a result, students need to be kept engaged with VR simulation. Very linear, structured scenarios could becoming boring
Conclusion
The shift towards blended learning has seen the introduction of multiple teaching methods into midwifery curricula, including online, digital learning and hands-on simulation. VR simulation combines digital learning and simulation together, creating a unique, three-dimensional, interactive experience that can provide flexible and asynchronous learning. VR can provide a safe environment to practise a wide variety of clinical skills, including emergency scenarios such as neonatal resuscitation
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors Considerations of virtual reality simulation to teach neonatal resuscitation to Australian midwifery students.
Acknowledgements
Nil.
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State-of-the art training in neonatal resuscitation
2022, Seminars in PerinatologyCitation Excerpt :In part, because the healthcare training market is dwarfed by the gaming industry and others, development of patient models incorporating haptic feedback has been limited. While in a nascent state, VR work in neonatal resuscitation is being undertaken primarily by investigators at academic institutions.38–47 Unlike traditional patient simulators, which must be physically altered in order to accurately represent different diseases that are manifest by different phenotypic features (a very costly characteristic), VR simulators require only a software adjustment to alter the image that is being projected.