Whether nurses are returning to bedside care or changing specialties, a virtual reality program for new inpatient nurses is improving patient safety and quality of care at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut, a Nuvance Health company. Used for scenario-based simulations, the VR program helps strengthen nurses’ clinical decision-making abilities, build skills and confidence, and smooth or even accelerate orientation times.
“Simulation is the safest and most effective way to strengthen the skills nurses need to provide quality care, but resource and logistical constraints can limit the use of in-person simulation,” said John Leopold, Simulation Network Director at Nuvance Health. “Simulation in VR helps overcome some of these hurdles, making quality simulation more accessible, engaging and fun.”
The “fully immersive virtual reality simulation” is being piloted at Danbury Hospital and another Nuvans Health hospital, with plans to eventually roll it out to other health system facilities.
Danbury Hospital’s Harold A. Spratt Simulation and Clinical Learning Center is a state-of-the-art facility that offers programs and curricula that emphasize interprofessional care, teamwork and clinical skills. The center features three main simulation labs that replicate an intensive care unit, an inpatient general surgery suite and a delivery room/intensive care unit. Each lab is equipped with all the equipment needed for healthcare professionals to master clinical skills and techniques and hone best practices.
Learn more about the Virtual Reality Program for Nurses and Danbury Hospital’s Harold A. Spratt Simulation and Clinical Learning Center.
