New virtual patient simulation to improve cultural representation in Australian nursing education

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori populations in Australia and New Zealand will be represented in the launch of Shadow Health, a new simulation teaching tool by Elsevier. 

Australian nursing students can now practice and apply clinical reasoning skills and therapeutic communication through realistic interactions with a range of virtual patients of different cultures, nationalities and ethnicities. The impact of Shadow Health for Australia and New Zealand means that the next generation of healthcare providers are more equipped to promote and deliver culturally safe care across the region.  

Elsevier worked closely with a team of clinical, cultural, and educational experts to build Shadow Health for Australia and New Zealand, aligning to relevant curricula and the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council and the Nursing Council of New Zealand’s standards. To ensure the product was culturally appropriate, the Elsevier development team partnered with four independent cultural consultants and DE&I consulting firm Watson Nelson Consulting to create accurate virtual First Nations and Māori patient scenarios. Nursing students will treat and develop a rapport with two Indigenous patients: Allyra Watts, a 25-year-old of Aboriginal, First Nations Wiradjuri descent, who presents to the hospital suffering from abdominal pain and in need of an assessment; and Nikau Kahoro, a 44-year-old of Māori descent, who presents to the outpatient clinic for a cardiovascular risk assessment. 

Michael Tully, Country Director – ANZ at Elsevier, said: “We are so excited to bring Shadow Health to Australia and New Zealand to help better prepare nurses to care for patients. We want nurse educators and students to feel more confident about treating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients in Australia and Māori patients in New Zealand after using Shadow Health. Ultimately, our goal is to use our next-generation technology to arm future healthcare providers with the tools needed to provide quality, culturally sensitive care and create better patient outcomes for all people.” 

As the importance of culturally appropriate care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori communities in Australia and New Zealand continues to gain recognition, simulation learning tools provide a modern and unique opportunity to upskill healthcare professionals in a culturally safe environment. 

Kayla Cartledge, Gurindji, founder of Our Songlines, and Cultural Consultant, said, “It is so important that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel included and understood when receiving care, especially in closing the health equity gap from those of their non-Indigenous peers. Shadow Health was designed to do this by creating a deeper understanding of the complexities and values of Aboriginal people in Australia through a teaching tool. And, when healthcare providers are better informed, they can provide better care. By creating a place of understanding, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will feel more accepted in the healthcare system and feel more comfortable accepting care.” 

In Australia, a long history of racism and discrimination exists for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, which has resulted in poorer patient healthcare outcomes. The burden of disease for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is 2.3 times se abre en una nueva pestaña/ventana that of non-Indigenous Australians, and access to health services for Indigenous Australians is reduced due to cost and lack of accessible or culturally appropriate health services. 

Elsevier is dedicated to addressing prevalent bias in the healthcare field and providing resources to create culturally competent nurses and healthcare professionals globally. This is one step towards creating a more empathetic and inclusive nursing workforce in Australia and New Zealand, and in turn, creating positive outcomes for patients in need.  

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About Shadow Health 

Shadow Health is a web-based teaching and learning platform that allows students to practise essential nursing skills in a realistic, safe and standardised virtual environment. Its cutting-edge simulations, powered by Shadow Health's Conversation Engine, help students develop therapeutic and empathetic communication skills through meaningful interactions with a diverse cast of Australian and New Zealand patients. Students perform interviews and physical assessments of increasing complexity, practise documentation and demonstrate their clinical reasoning skills while caring for patients with diverse medical and personal histories.  

To learn more about Shadow Health and its value for students and educators, please visit our Shadow Health page.  

Acerca de Elsevier

Como líder mundial en información y análisis científicos, Elsevier ayuda a los investigadores y profesionales de la salud a hacer avanzar la ciencia y mejorar los resultados de salud en beneficio de la sociedad. Lo hacemos facilitando conocimientos y la toma de decisiones críticas con soluciones innovadoras basadas en contenido confiable y basado en evidencia y tecnologías digitales avanzadas habilitadas por IA. Hemos apoyado el trabajo de nuestras comunidades de investigación y atención médica durante más de 140 años. Nuestros 9500 empleados en todo el mundo, incluidos 2300 tecnólogos, se dedican a apoyar a investigadores, bibliotecarios, líderes académicos, financiadores, gobiernos, empresas intensivas en I+D, médicos, enfermeras, futuros profesionales de la salud y educadores en su trabajo crítico. Nuestras 2900 revistas científicas y libros de referencia icónicos incluyen los títulos más importantes en sus campos, incluidos Cell Press, The Lancet y Gray's Anatomy. Junto con Elsevier Foundation se abre en una nueva pestaña/ventana, trabajamos en asociación con las comunidades a las que servimos para promover la inclusión y la diversidad en la ciencia, la investigación y la atención médica en los países en desarrollo y en todo el mundo. Elsevier es parte de RELX, un proveedor global de herramientas de toma de decisiones y análisis basados ​​en información para clientes profesionales y comerciales. Para obtener más información sobre nuestro trabajo, soluciones digitales y contenido, visite www.elsevier.com.