A TAFE NSW virtual reality application for healthcare workers has been recognised in the prestigious 2021 Australian Good Design Awards.

Designed by TAFE NSW, commissioned by Werfen, and developed in collaboration with NSW Health Pathology and CognitiveVR this world first training simulation received an award in the Digital Design category in recognition for outstanding design and innovation.

Over 40,000 NSW based healthcare workers are currently registered as point-of-care testing operators. They work across a broad range of health specialties and perform over 1.6 million pathology tests annually (or 4385 per day). These tests support fast, reliable diagnostics for conditions such as sepsis, COVID19 and heart attacks.

The virtual reality training application aims to address the challenges in training this exponentially growing workforce including trainer and device availability, patient safety, consistency, and costs particularly important in the context of regional and remote healthcare.

TAFE NSW Innovation Manager, Joe Millward, said he is thrilled that the collaborative effort has been awarded for innovation and cutting edge technological design.

“The point-of-care testing VR application delivers a realistic simulation of the Werfen GEM Premier 5000. This showcases the talent within TAFE NSW and the depth of our industry connections.”

General Manager of Werfen Australia and NZ, Sally Hickman said the VR pilot is designed specifically for the GEM Premier 5000 Blood Gas Testing System, and will provide participants with hands-on skills in diagnostic testing through a simulation experience via VR headset.

“At Werfen we strive to develop meaningful innovations that truly enhance patient care and help create healthier societies worldwide. With the help of the TAFE NSW, we have achieved this by creating a tool that will provide more efficient training to healthcare workers.”

The winners of Australia’s peak international design awards were announced on Tuesday during the 2021 Good Design Awards Week.

For more information about TAFE NSW, visit www.tafensw.edu.au or phone 131 601.

Media contact: Sarah Lievore, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, sarah.lievore1@tafensw.edu.au