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Sunnybrook Canadian Simulation Centre and the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch collaborated to plan and present immersive simulation-based acquisition for COVID-19

When the archetypal cases of COVID-19 began to look successful the First Nations and Inuit communities of Northern Ontario, readying was underway to reply the question: “How volition we manage?”

A nursing signifier advisor with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), Craig O’Brien oversees the nursing stations successful galore of the First Nations and Inuit communities crossed the province. In the 40 stations supported by the FNIHB, determination are nary hospitals, the doc visits conscionable erstwhile a period and it tin instrumentality hours oregon adjacent days to safely transport critically sick patients to hospital.

“We wanted to cognize what to bash successful a worst-case script – if we had a diligent struggling to respire and nary quality to intubate them,” Craig says.

The reply came successful the signifier of caller instrumentality – oxygen concentrators, nasal prongs and masks – and an innovative acquisition concern with Sunnybrook.

Immersive simulation-based education

“The clinic’s nurses implicit engaged two-week rotations with small clip to be acquisition sessions instructing them connected the usage of their caller equipment,” explains Agnes Ryzynski, Director of the Sunnybrook Canadian Simulation Centre (SCSC).

Founded successful 1995 arsenic a Canadian first, the SCSC educates much than 3,000 students, wellness professionals and researchers per twelvemonth successful diligent attraction situations.

“It prompted america to deliberation however we mightiness usage exertion to present online, flexible and immersive acquisition experiences focused connected managing COVID-19 patients successful respiratory distress,” says Agnes.

The SCSC team, (including Agnes Ryzynski, Medical and Research Director Dr. Fahad Alam, Simulation Educator Susan DeSousa, Simulation Specialist Victoria May and VR Developer Kyle Wilcocks) and Sunnybrook Respiratory Therapist Julie Nardi collaborated with the FNIHB to plan and present the innovative programme astatine 21 distant stations successful Ontario.

Clinic unit usage their smartphones outfitted with a cardboard virtual world lens to presumption the 4 3D instructional videos. They tin entree the tools 24/7 utilizing a QR codification embedded into each portion of equipment. The task was funded by donors who person supported Sunnybrook’s COVID-19 effect and education.

The videos person been viewed much than 350 times to date.

“The feedback I received from the nurses was that the acquisition videos were adjuvant astatine explaining the oxygen pathway and easy accessible utilizing their phones oregon devices erstwhile they were capable to watch,” says Craig.

Developing caller protocols

In summation to making health-care acquisition accessible, the videos inspired the FNIHB squad to make a caller protocol for safely storing and utilizing oxygen therapy successful a distant environment.

“In a crisis, there’s nary clip to propulsion retired a manual. Sunnybrook’s expertise was invaluable successful helping front-line nurses successful distant bluish Ontario First Nations communities supply the safest, astir up-to-date attraction to their patients,” says Craig. “We’re precise grateful.”