A simulating experience for country health professionals

A world class Patient Treatment Simulation & Training Facility for doctors and nurses is on its way to Moree in a bid to provide unique access to education for country health professionals.

The facility will be at Moree District Health Service, between 12 and 14 October and will train over 30 doctors and nurses from Moree, Inverell and other New England health sites.

Six doctors, an engineer and a nurse will run the course at Moree along with a truckload of audiovisual and computing equipment including life-like patient simulators from John Hunter Hospital. Rooms will then be set up throughout the Moree District Health Service to resemble wards, the Emergency Department and operating theatres for the mock situations.

“The Simulation Courses will allow health professionals who care for rural communities the chance to rehearse emergency situations they wouldn’t often find themselves in, but need to be prepared to manage at any time,” Director of Simulation at Hunter New England Health Cate McIntosh said.

The mannequins used in the course can react to conditions in all ways a human patient would, with speech, breathing and blood pressure, among other features, all being included. Doctors and nurses in attendance over the course will have to determine the nature of the patient’s conditions and the best way to treat them, under the same time constraints as a real life incident.

The realistic nature of the ‘patient’ and the use of real clinical equipment and situations make it easy for the staff to immerse themselves in the experience. Although they find it stressful, like pilots training on a flight simulator, the courses provide an opportunity to rehearse for serious but rare events, without any risk to passengers or patients.

“The Simulation Course is a chance for our country health professionals to have access to training that staff in the city can attain regularly,” Dr McIntosh said.

The Moree Simulation Course will be held at Moree District Health Service between 12 and 14 October, 2010. Media opportunities are available by calling Abbey Wright on (02) 4921 4477.

Contact: Abbey Wright

Phone: (02) 4921 4477