The Veterans Administration Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning and Veterans Experience Office launched a virtual reality pilot training program that is immersing staff in a computer-generated VA facility.

WHY IT MATTERS

The agency's frontline team members gathered at the Orlando VA to experience that process from the veteran’s perspective in a train-the-trainer session, according to the VA in a new post from the "VA Immersive: Defining a New Reality" series, which focuses on improving healthcare through virtual and augmented reality.

The new VR pilot is focusing on improving hospital discharge scenarios identified by patients, caregivers and the VHA.

First, the frontline staff learn to navigate the VR application in an initial tutorial module before entering the experience. Then, once inside the virtual hospital, the training takes them through three scenarios involving a patient awaiting discharge after surgery on an injured leg. 

The purpose of the VR training module is to allow VA frontline staff to recognize the gaps in care and empathize with patients from a first-person point of view. They return to their home facilities with three VR headsets and the skills to replicate the training with staff at their facilities, according to the story.

After six weeks, the VEO will collect feedback from VA staff and look at applicable patient survey data to determine if the VR training pilot successfully improved the actual patient experience.

THE LARGER TREND

The VA has been making it a practice to look at applications, gaming, virtual reality and other interactive tools as part of a larger, ongoing digital transformation effort.

Recently, the VA awarded $20 million for the Mission Daybreak Grand Challenge to 10 startups to develop technologies – including a virtual reality-based group support platform and a digital therapeutic using virtual reality to treat severe social isolation – that aim to reduce veteran suicide. 

Beyond immersive training, VR is also used in the healthcare industry for patient and pain management, disease prevention, surgical planning, telehealth, remote surgeries and medical simulations, according to Pari Natarajan, CEO of Zinnov, a global management and consulting firm focusing on digital transformation in healthcare.

Not only will virtual reality improve the quality, accuracy and outcome of healthcare treatments, but VR could also help hospitals and health systems improve the experience of service delivery at scale, he told Healthcare IT News in February.

"It will create a more immersive reality for patients, vendors/partners and healthcare employees, and engage them holistically involving all their senses," he said. 

"Further supporting hardware like virtual reality headsets will become more accessible from a cost and availability standpoint."

ON THE RECORD

"We are thrilled to introduce immersive technology as a staff training tool to foster the empathic care our veterans deserve," said Dr. Paula Stokes, research and design division chief for VA patient experience. 

"We aim to not only meet their needs during a hospital stay but provide high-quality care with an increased level of patient experience. Ultimately, we want VA to be our veterans’ first choice for healthcare," she said.

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

Nate Lesser will offer more detail during the HIMS23 session "Code Dark: Finding Force Multipliers in Hospital Cybersecurity." It's scheduled for Wednesday, April 19 at 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT at the South Building, Level 4, room S406 B.