RFDS tackles Covid-19 with simulation technology

Flight nurses and medical officers in Queensland have been taking part in simulated scenarios at the Traeger Clinical Innovation and Learning Centre at the RFDS Brisbane Base since the pandemic started.

Now, the RFDS are calling for donations to help fund similar facilities across Queensland, while constructing and installing a new simulation room at the Cairns Base.

Ronan Sweeney, RFDS Manager of Clinical Training and Development, said the Brisbane Traeger Clinical Innovation and Training Room was generously funded by a supporter: "The facility, the first of its kind in Queensland and the first in Australia to be used for healthcare, is equipped with surround sound speakers, projectors and sensors which simulate clinical settings RFDS medical staff are likely to find themselves in when on the job.

"While using the technology, medical crews can find themselves in a paddock on a cattle station, on a dirt strip in the outback, or in the middle of a busy mine site. The life-like manikins can also be programmed to simulate any kind of medical symptoms, including those shown by patients with Covid-19."

Sweeney said a fundraising initiative is to aid the construction of a similar simulation room in Cairns. "Ultimately we want to be able to support every single clinical colleague across the state with the exact same technology so they all have the same experience," he added.