 The iPod training system was successful in Australia |
Two hospitals in Glasgow are using iPod music players to train staff. The gadgets give new recruits an "audio induction" to the workplace, which is followed by a computer-based test.
Hopital managers at NHS Greater Glasgow say the iPod tours can be used to train staff on issues like superbugs, moving patients and coping with violence.
The iPods are being used in operating theatres at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and in the labour ward and neonatal unit at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital.
They are also being introduced at the Western Infirmary's Accident and Emergency department.
Developed Down Under
Other health authorities in the UK and Europe are now said to have expressed an interest in the Voicemap software.
"Using technology - the iPod - means we can make sure all new staff are trained to exactly the same standard," said Alastair Kirk, training and development manager at NHS Greater Glasgow.
"That is a big improvement on a system that relies on other staff and can therefore be vulnerable to human error.
"Staff find this a very enjoyable way to train and they start their job with more confidence".
The Voicemap system was developed in Australia by Dr Maggie Haertsch, a lecturer at a nursing school.
She was inspired by the self-guided audio tours offered in art galleries and museums.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
