Development and Pilot Implementation of TACTICS VR: A Virtual Reality-Based Stroke Management Workflow Training Application and Training Framework

Front Neurol. 2021 Nov 11;12:665808. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.665808. eCollection 2021.ABSTRACTDelays in acute stroke treatment contribute to severe and negative impacts for patients and significant healthcare costs. Variability in clinical care is a contributor to delayed treatment, particularly in rural, regional and remote (RRR) areas. Targeted approaches to improve stroke workflow processes improve outcomes, but numerous challenges exist particularly in RRR settings. Virtual reality (VR) applications can provide immersive and engaging training and overcome some existing training barriers. We recently initiated the TACTICS trial, which is assessing a "package intervention" to support advanced CT imaging and streamlined stroke workflow training. As part of the educational component of the intervention we developed TACTICS VR, a novel VR-based training application to upskill healthcare professionals in optimal stroke workflow processes. In the current manuscript, we describe development of the TACTICS VR platform which includes the VR-based training application, a user-facing website and an automated back-end data analytics portal. TACTICS VR was developed via an extensive and structured scoping and consultation process, to ensure content was evidence-based, represented best-practice and is tailored for the target audience. Further, we report on pilot implementation in 7 Australian hospitals to assess the feasibility of workplace-based VR training. A total of 104 healthcare p...
Source: Rural Remote Health - Category: Rural Health Authors: Source Type: research