The Development of the Compromised Neonate: A Virtual Reality Neonatal Resuscitation Program

Globally, about 2.5 million newborns die annually during the neonatal period and improving and increasing the availability of neonatal resuscitation training is considered a global health priority. Neonatal resuscitation comprises interventions to preserve or initiate breathing and/or circulation. In Australia, health personnel attending births are expected to maintain these skills through regular involvement in neonatal resuscitation training programs. Simulation-based education incorporating deliberate practice, reflection and feedback on practice, has become central to neonatal resuscitation training. Simulation-based education can require considerable material and human resource investments that may limit access to training. Technological advancement has brought changes in neonatal resuscitation training, including the use of immersive and non-immersive virtual reality simulation techniques. It is important that health professionals are involved in the design and development of simulation-based education initiatives in areas such as neonatal resuscitation training. The objective of this paper is to outline the development of an immersive virtual reality neonatal resuscitation program, the "compromised neonate simulation", and describe the initial implementation and attitudes of the program amongst a small group of final year undergraduate midwifery students in one Australian University. Given the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the use of transformative technology such as virtual reality may afford new and immersive educational opportunities in training health care professionals.