Using Virtual Reality To Help Address Inequities In Healthcare – Forbes

A nurse works on a computer while treating patients with coronavirus in the intensive care unit at a ... [+] hospital on May 1, 2020 in Leonardtown, Maryland. An innovative program at the Eastern Michigan University aims to help nurses provide more 'culturally competent care' and address healthcare inequities for Asian American patients.

A team at the Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is using virtual reality to help address healthcare inequities for Asian Americans by teaching medical staff how to deliver culturally competent care to the communities they serve.

Earlier this year, the EMU School of Nursing was awarded a $72,000 grant to develop a virtual reality program aimed at addressing health inequities affecting Asian Americans.

Provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, EMU was one of only two nursing schools in the state to receive the grant.

Now, Dr Tsu-Yin Wu, director of the Center for Health Disparities Innovation and Studies (CHDIS) at EMU and a professor and director of the universitys school of nursing PhD program, is overseeing the execution of the innovative program.

Here in Michigan, we do not have the largest Asian American population. So of almost 9.9 million Michiganders, we are about 3.4 percent, Dr Wu said in a video interview.

Dr Tsu-Yin Wu has been leading a new project at the Eastern Michigan University to help train ... [+] healthcare providers to provide 'culturally competent' care to the communities they serve.

Asian Americans, she said, can face certain barriers to accessing healthcare and oftentimes, healthcare providers are not aware of those disparities and risk exacerbating them.

Meanwhile, she said, health care providers can also help improve health outcomes and quality of care by better understanding the social and cultural needs of patients.

Under the Immersive Community, Culture, and Care Experiences for Undergraduate Nursing Students: The 360-degree Difference program, Dr Wu has led efforts to help healthcare providers better understand the needs of Asian American patients and provide culturally aware care.

In the virtual reality program, nurses are able to simulate interactions with patients and learn more about the barriers they may face.

Those barriers, Dr Wu said, can range from something like food insecurity to something like racism.

The students can actually learn that this is what their patients or clients are experiencing...and they can be aware of and think about racism and all of the stressors, anxieties and fears [their patients face], Dr Wu said.

Still, the doctor said it is also critical to have diversity and representation in the healthcare system.

Its important to have a work force that represents the people, she said.

In an interview, DrJamesSmith, the presidentof EMU said he believed Dr Wus work has been a significant contributor to improving the quality of care for the Asian American community in Detroit.

He further hailed the virtual reality program as a key component to EMUs leadership in addressing inequities in healthcare.

In addition to leading the virtual program, Dr Wu, who was recognised as one of the 2020 Notable Women in Health Care by Crains Detroit Business, has previously received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to further help address health disparities for Asian Americans across Michigan.

She has also previously led a navigator program for underserved Asian communities in Michigan as part of a three-year grant from the federal Center for Medicare Services (CMS).

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Using Virtual Reality To Help Address Inequities In Healthcare - Forbes