NEONATAL: Get to know the #OC2

[angelica.marsico]

Proposal Acronym: NEONATAL

Proposal Title: Simulated Neonatal Resuscitation Training for European Healthcare Workers

Proposal Summary:

Simulated Neonatal Resuscitation Training for European Healthcare Workers (NEONATAL) is a VR-based training solution designed to improve how healthcare workers (HCWs) learn and practice life-saving neonatal resuscitation skills through simulated medical training. This project aims to enhance emergency readiness and reduce neonatal mortality by providing realistic, adaptable, and scalable training experiences for European healthcare environments.

Key Objectives:

• Enhance Neonatal Emergency Training: Provide situated, just-in-time, and just-in-place VR learning to improve procedural skills, emergency decision-making, and team-based coordination.
• Adapt to European Healthcare Needs: Tailor the VR-based training model, initially piloted in Tanzania, to European hospital settings.
• Assess Readiness Levels: Evaluate HCW preparedness to respond to life-threatening neonatal emergencies through realistic VR scenarios.
• Promote Scalability: Develop an open-source XR application to support widespread adoption and future adaptation across different healthcare systems.

Technological Innovations & Features:

• Realistic VR Scenarios: Customizable 3D environments for practicing critical neonatal resuscitation techniques.
• Open-Source XR Application: Create and share two tailored content modules for European healthcare.
• Interactive Training Tools: Utilize XR2LEARN’s enablers, including INTERACT and emotion classifiers, to deliver human-centric, interactive training experiences.
• Continuous Skill Development: Regularly update VR modules and allow repeat practice, ensuring ongoing skill enhancement and confidence-building.
• Performance Assessment: Integrate evaluation tools to determine when HCWs are ready to deliver emergency care.

Impact & Benefits:

• Improved Patient Outcomes: Equip HCWs with the skills and confidence needed to save newborn lives during emergencies.
• Cost-Effective & Scalable: Reduce the need for on-site trainers and physical simulations, while allowing for broad adoption across healthcare systems.
• Better Decision-Making: Enhance emergency response through realistic, hands-on VR experiences that mimic high-pressure environments.
• Human-Centric Approach: Focus on user needs by creating adaptive, interactive training aligned with real-world healthcare challenges.

Challenges Addressed:

• Training Complexity: Overcome the logistical challenges of on-site, team-based neonatal resuscitation training.
• Access & Equity: Make cutting-edge medical training accessible by offering an open-source, scalable VR platform.
• Skill Retention: Ensure ongoing readiness by enabling frequent practice of life-saving procedures without disrupting clinical operations.

Consortium & Expertise:

• Khora: An award-winning XR production studio specializing in immersive learning and medical simulation.
• Rigshospitalet: Denmark’s largest public hospital, providing medical leadership and training expertise through its Global Health Unit.
• University Hospital of North Zealand (Hillerød): Supporting the development, testing, and evaluation of the VR modules.

Development Plan:

Over 12 months, NEONATAL will:

• Develop & Adapt the VR training to European healthcare contexts.
• Pilot & Evaluate the system with up to 100 users to ensure market readiness.
• Contribute to XR2LEARN by offering open resources for future collaboration and innovation.

By project completion, NEONATAL will deliver a fully validated and scalable VR-based neonatal resuscitation training solution, contributing to safer and more effective emergency care across Europe.

Applicants:

• Khora
• Region Hovedstaden

Country: Denmark

[vukasin]

@angelica.marsico

igned to improve how healthcare workers (HCWs) learn and practice life-saving neonatal resuscitation skills through simulated medical training. This project aims to enhance emergency readiness and reduce neonatal mortality by providing realistic, adaptable,

This project sounds super interesting! Looking forward to see how they will develop their solution!

[Johannes]

Project Update for Lugano!

Proposal Acronym: NEONATAL

Proposal Title: Simulated Neonatal Resuscitation Training for European Healthcare Workers

Project Summary:
NEONATAL uses simulated VR training to equip healthcare workers with life-saving neonatal resuscitation skills, helping them to deliver better care for newborns when it matters most.

NEONATAL is a VR-based training solution designed to equip healthcare workers (HCWs) with critical neonatal resuscitation skills. The project builds on a successful pilot conducted in Tanzania in 2024, where 45 HCWs trained in clinical settings using VR technology.

With support from XR2LEARN, NEONATAL will adapt this model to address critical neonatal emergency training needs within the European healthcare context. Led by Khora, in collaboration with Rigshospitalet, the project will develop and test an open-source VR application featuring realistic training modules and readiness assessments.

By the end of the 12-month project, NEONATAL will have been tested by up to 100 users, demonstrating its potential to improve emergency care skills, enhance teamwork, and offer scalable, human-centric training solutions across Europe.

Project Description:
NEONATAL uses Virtual Reality (VR) to improve how healthcare workers (HCWs) learn, practice, and prepare for life-saving neonatal resuscitation. It represents an important step in making XR-based training a practical, sustainable solution for European healthcare, improving newborn care when it matters most.

Despite efforts to reduce child mortality, neonatal deaths still account for 44% of under-five deaths globally. Effective neonatal emergency care requires well-trained HCWs, but traditional simulation is complex and resource-intensive.

VR offers an effective and scalable alternative, allowing HCWs to repeatedly practice skills in realistic, team-based scenarios, building confidence and decision-making abilities. NEONATAL builds on a successful 2024 pilot in Tanzania with 45 participants, showing that VR is an effective and adaptable method since modules can be updated regularly and allow scenarios to be practised as often as desired to build confidence and skills. Supported by XR2LEARN, NEONATAL will be adapted to the European context, demonstrating how human-centric XR applications can meet critical training needs in neonatal emergencies.

Led by Khora, an award-winning XR studio, and Rigshospitalet’s Global Health Unit in Denmark, NEONATAL will develop, test, and evaluate an open-source VR application with two training modules. The project will deliver customised, realistic scenarios and readiness assessments tailored to European HCWs. By the end of the 12-month project, up to 100 users will have tested NEONATAL, ensuring market readiness and providing a roadmap for scalable deployment to advance human-centric medical neonatal resuscitation training in Europe.

Partner organisations:

Khora
/www.khora.com
LinkedIn: “Khora Virtual Reality”

Rigshospitalet
/www.rigshospitalet.dk
LinkedIn: “Rigshospitalet”