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 新しいタブ／ウィンドウで開く 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.  

エルゼビアについて

エルゼビアは情報分析を専門としたグローバル企業として、研究者や医療専門家の方々を支援し、社会にとっての利益最大化に向けて、科学や医療の進展を支えています。これは、信頼できるエビデンスによるコンテンツと高度なAI対応によるデジタル技術に基づく革新的なソリューションにより、知見の集積や重要な意思決定を支援することで実現されています。

エルゼビアは、全世界で9,700人の従業員（うち技術者2,300人以上）を抱え、140年以上にわたって、研究者、図書館員、アカデミックリーダー、資金提供者、政府、研究開発集約型企業、医師、看護師、将来の医療専門家、教育者など研究・医療分野におけるパートナーの重要な活動を支援してきました。エルゼビアが刊行する3,000誌以上の科学ジャーナルと代表的な参考書には、The Lancet 新しいタブ／ウィンドウで開く、Cell Press 新しいタブ／ウィンドウで開くおよびGray’s Anatomyなどをはじめとする、各分野を代表する主要なタイトルが含まれています。 エルゼビア・ファンデーション 新しいタブ／ウィンドウで開くとの活動を通し、私たちがサービスを提供する地域社会と連携して、開発途上国を含む世界中の医学、研究、医療分野における、インクルージョン＆ダイバーシティ（I&D）の改善に努めています。

エルゼビアは、専門家および企業向けの情報分析および意思決定ツールのグローバルプロバイダーであるRELX Group 新しいタブ／ウィンドウで開くの一事業を担っています。エルゼビアの事業内容、デジタルソリューション、コンテンツなどの詳細については、www.elsevier.comをご覧ください。