A Perth researcher is revolutionising the way paramedicine and midwifery is taught to students, developing a virtual reality device which simulates an unplanned out-of-hospital birth.

PhD candidate Michella Hill developed NEONATE VR in response to her own research, finding paramedics were reluctant to attend out-of-hospital births as complications rates are much higher.

“We found that paramedics, even those who have already attended an out-of-hospital birth are experiencing anxiety, as there is 20 to 30 per cent chance things can go horribly wrong; and can be life threatening for the mother or baby,” she says.

The program is designed to support midwives, paramedics and rural doctors and nurses to become more confident with complicated births.

St John WA manager of midwifery Mel Gardiner says the new technology is great for learning in classroom.

“Having this technology means that we are able to get a range senses involved in caring for children. Our current training methods include getting hands on with mannequins, and doing CPR through dolls, but this new virtual reality technology means our students are able to have real situations presented to them in a safe environment,” she says.

University of Queensland midwifery and nursing student Bailey Malseed says while placement is the ideal way of learning, it is not certain you are going to encounter an out-of-hospital birth situation. This is where virtual reality comes in.

“I think placement is invaluable, but if we had access to the virtual reality technology in the classroom before we go on placement, we would be much better prepared for anything that might occur,” she says.

Edith Cowan University senior lecturer Dr Brennen Mills says while it has its limitations, VR training is one of the best products we have to simulate a live environment.

“No, it’s not the silver bullet that solves everything, and people don’t want to dip their toe in until it does that. There are some things that VR is not yet ready for, but there is a hell of alot it can do, right now,” he says.

“Not everything has to be real life, if we can create a stress free environment where a student can try out a situation without the risk of harm, it’s already better than a mannequin.”

St John WA is trialling NEONATE VR with its paramedicine students, with the product set to become available to the broader healthcare community early next year.