A WIRELESS-controlled full-body mannequin that makes all the appropriate and inappropriate sounds of a sick person is the centrepiece of a new state-of-the-art mobile training vehicle.
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Hospital doctors and nurses, general practitioners, allied health and paramedics across the Riverina are now benefiting from the development of the Riverina Mobile Health Simulation van, otherwise known as RivSim, which will be an educational van for staff in the management of medical, obstetric and trauma emergencies.
Wagga and Griffith already benefit from simulation training centres based locally, but staff in outlying towns like Narrandera, Junee and Temora aren’t always able to travel for training.
The van is the perfect answer to that problem, according to University of NSW Professor and Murrumbidgee Local Health District director of post-graduate training Graeme Richardson.
“It means those staff can receive specialised training depending on their needs,” Professor Richardson said.
“Our expert medical and nursing educators will now be able to rehearse and practise emergency situations, then retrieve if needed, in all our district hospitals, by the roadside or in general practice settings.”
So far the van has travelled to Narrandera and was met with enthusiasm from staff who have already requested future training sessions.
Each of the stakeholder organisations involved is expected to gain further insight into working with different health agencies.
Manager of ambulance education for the Ambulance Service of NSW, Alan Morrison, said the vehicle will offer the chance for paramedics to increase their skills in working with other health professionals.
“We are the ones who take the patient from the community and into the health care system as smoothly as we can,” he said. “It will help increase patient safety during hand-over periods to ensure vital information is passed on for the continued care and treatment.
“This will also give hospital-based clinicians an idea of what happens to patients before they arrive at hospitals, so they can be aware that they are not beginning the treatment of a patient at ground zero.”
The van became a reality thanks to a grant of $242,000 from Health Workforce Australia, coupled with $120,000 to cover 12 months of education and training.
The ongoing costs of the use of the van will then be covered by numerous stakeholders including the universities of NSW and Notre Dame, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, Ambulance NSW and Coast City Country General Practice Training.
