Moments That Matter: Inpatient Discharge Experience Training
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Share PrintMoments That Matter Inpatient Discharge Experience is a virtual reality (VR) training experience for VA staff created by VHA Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL) in collaboration with Veterans Experience (VEO). This VR training is designed to inform and empower staff and improve the inpatient discharge experience for Veterans at VA Medical Centers. This “day in the life” immersive experience presents the Veteran patient’s perspective of the discharge journey to VA staff to help build empathy. It includes emotional ups and downs and highlights several “moments that matter” by incorporating VEO’s Patient Discharge Checklist, a tool clinicians and staff can use to help communicate throughout a patient’s care journey and incorporate Sit and SALUTE behaviors (Say Hello, Apologize, Listen to the Concern, Understand, Take Action to Resolve the Issue, Express Gratitude).
Origin:
October 2021, Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning and Veteran Experience Office
Adoptions:
10 successful
Partners:
Veterans Experience Office
Recent Updates
Overview
The problem
The transition from hospital to home can often be an abrupt and overwhelming experience for the Veteran, family, and caregiver. Every day, clinical teams face situations during the hospital discharge process that require insight and empathy to meet Veterans’ needs comprehensively and compassionately. However, given the complex and emotional nature of the ho
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The transition from hospital to home can often be an abrupt and overwhelming experience for the Veteran, family, and caregiver. Every day, clinical teams face situations during the hospital discharge process that require insight and empathy to meet Veterans’ needs comprehensively and compassionately. However, given the complex and emotional nature of the hospital discharge process, clinical teams may require additional support and training to ensure they are equipped with the necessary skills to provide Veterans with the care they deserve. These skills are typically developed through experience, but due to challenges faced by clinical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of providing Veterans with a positive experience during inpatient discharge, there is a pressing need to proactively teach clinical teams the empathy and soft skills needed to ensure the highest quality care for Veterans and their families.
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The solution
Moments that Matter Inpatient Discharge VR training is designed for VA Staff members to improve the participants’ understanding of the Veteran experience and provide guidance on effective communication during the discharge process. Participants are immersed in a realistic virtual world that gives them insight into what it is like to be a patient in bed. Part
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Moments that Matter Inpatient Discharge VR training is designed for VA Staff members to improve the participants’ understanding of the Veteran experience and provide guidance on effective communication during the discharge process. Participants are immersed in a realistic virtual world that gives them insight into what it is like to be a patient in bed. Participants can experience the use of the call button, text family members, reach for the water pitcher or food, review the discharge checklist, and experience symptoms and confusion common to inpatients. This allows clinicians and nurses to better understand the patient’s perspective concerning their discharge and to help them prepare for a safe and effective transition from a VA medical center to their home or another care environment. The VR training content is based on insights drawn from Veteran patients, VA Staff, and Patient Experience Surveys of Veterans following their own hospitalization.
The overall goal is to build empathy, compassion, and resilience in the hospital environment. This training can help staff members navigate difficult conversations by understanding the moments that matter most to Veterans, families, and caregivers. It aims to empower all VA staff to experience the emotional ups and downs of a Veteran patient navigating through the discharge journey. See more
The overall goal is to build empathy, compassion, and resilience in the hospital environment. This training can help staff members navigate difficult conversations by understanding the moments that matter most to Veterans, families, and caregivers. It aims to empower all VA staff to experience the emotional ups and downs of a Veteran patient navigating through the discharge journey. See more
The results
This VR training helps to teach and reinforce “VA Way” behaviors through using realistic situations to improve inpatient discharge experiences and build empathy. As of April 2023, 365 VA staff members completed the training. Of surveyed employees who participated in the training, the average satisfaction score was 4.63 out of 5. “The experience was enlighte
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This VR training helps to teach and reinforce “VA Way” behaviors through using realistic situations to improve inpatient discharge experiences and build empathy. As of April 2023, 365 VA staff members completed the training. Of surveyed employees who participated in the training, the average satisfaction score was 4.63 out of 5. “The experience was enlightening and made an impact on my professional changes for a better discharge experience for Veterans and their families” stated a VA staff member.
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Metrics
- 356 Pilot Participants
- 148+ training sessions
- 9 out of 10 survey respondents would recommend the training to a colleague
- 93% of survey respondents remarked the training helped them experience empathy for Veterans going through the discharge process
- 90% of survey respondents said the training will positively impact how they engage with Veterans during their discharge journey
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Implementation
Core Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
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TOOLS |
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Files
- A guide created by VA Immersive to increase knowledge of XR Intro Guide to XR
- A playbook created by VA Immersive to help with XR implementation VA Immersive Playbook
About
Origin story
The Moments that Matter Inpatient Discharge Experience emerged through a collaboration between the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL) and Veteran Experience Office (VEO). OHIL works to identify problems that advancing technology, like virtual reality, can solve. Subject Matter Experts from both offices jointly identified pain points for Vete
...
The Moments that Matter Inpatient Discharge Experience emerged through a collaboration between the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL) and Veteran Experience Office (VEO). OHIL works to identify problems that advancing technology, like virtual reality, can solve. Subject Matter Experts from both offices jointly identified pain points for Veterans during the inpatient discharge process, such as feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information shared with them.
To address this pain point, OHIL and VEO collaborated to develop tools to enhance the inpatient discharge experience. The resulting solution used VR to deliver a training experience to empower VA staff to improve the inpatient discharge process for Veterans, focusing on empathy and understanding the Veteran’s perspective.
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