Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Princess Royal Maternity are the first hospitals in the UK to use iPods as training tools. Each new member of staff is given an audio induction tour via an iPod, which describes the geographical layout of their workplace, and identifies safety issues involving potential risk to staff and patients.
The expected benefits to patients include improved safety and less exposure to clinical risk. Furthermore, the system is said to build on teamwork and encourage professionals from different disciplines to work together.
Alastair Kirk, an NHS Greater Glasgow training and development manager, said, Using technology – the iPod – means we can make sure all new staff are trained to exactly the same standard, and it’s inevitable that that’s a big improvement on a system that relies on other staff and can therefore be vulnerable to human error.
NHS Greater Glasgow also indicated that the technology was being adopted by hospitals elsewhere in the UK and Europe.
