Danica Willis and Karen Zhang
Training emergency nurses for tense situations A group of emergency nurses huddle around two laptops in a training room at Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH), trying to calm down a virtual persona.
mother wanting her toddler to be seen to immediately. In a bustling emergency department, patient care is often fast-paced, but tensions can escalate quickly. To help create a safe space for both patients and healthcare professionals, RNSH has been running the Aggression Prevention Minimisation project since June this year. Clinical Nurse Consultant Alison Partyka the VR component is an important part of the training. “The VR de-escalation training is one of three key tools helping staff recognise and manage difficult behaviours in the emergency room before they spiral out of control,” she said.
On one laptop, the avatar represents a patient with a substance use disorder. “I don’t want to listen to anything else you have to say. Just get me a damn doctor and some stronger pain relief,” he demanded. The avatar unfortunately mimics real- life aggressive behaviour, and the nurses are practising ways to de-escalate the situation. Nearby, two nurses have donned virtual reality (VR) headsets and are also talking to avatars, including the upset family member of a person with dementia and a
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