Research

SAFE-T Center opens simulation lab with virtual reality, technology demos

Center aims to enhance access to high-quality forensic sexual assault care

Renata Engel, associate vice president for online programs, stands in the green screen (chroma key) production studio at the Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Forensic Examination and Telehealth (SAFE-T) Center during a celebration of the center’s lab opening July 25. Located in the Nursing Sciences Building, the SAFE-T Center will provide forensic nurses in underserved areas with access to experts in the care of sexual assault victims. The lab’s virtual reality technology was used to immerse visitors in a 360-degree video of the training center and a simulated courtroom testimony of a sexual assault nurse examiner. Credit: Patrick Mansell, Penn State / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Visitors to the Penn State College of Nursing on Tuesday, July 25, experimented with virtual reality and got a glimpse into the work of forensic nurses when the Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Forensic Examination and Telehealth (SAFE-T) Center celebrated the opening of its forensic simulation lab.

Supported by a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, the SAFE-T Center is a new project spearheaded by the College of Nursing to enhance statewide access to high-quality forensic care for sexual assault victims. Tuesday’s event featured technology-rich interactive displays that showcased the center’s innovative approaches to telehealth technology.

“The lab is an integral piece of the SAFE-T Center, which aims to create sustainable solutions for forensic sexual assault care in underserved areas,” said Sheridan Miyamoto, assistant professor of nursing and principal investigator on the project.

The center’s telemedicine network enables forensic nurses to remotely connect in real time to experienced sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), who provide mentoring and support during sexual assault exams. Monthly peer reviews facilitate discussion, reinforce evidence-based practice, and allow nurses to share strategies for working in an emotionally difficult field.

Penn State College of Nursing recently opened that SAFE-T Center, which aims to create sustainable solutions for forensic sexual assault care in underserved areas. 

What sets the SAFE-T Center apart is the innovative and affordable technology solutions being created to overcome cost and functionality challenges, said Bill Hartsock, a multimedia specialist in the College of Nursing and a member of the center’s telehealth support team.

“We needed technology with the ability to capture high-quality forensic images while sharing with our remote nurse consultants in real time,” Hartsock explained. “Many existing tools provide excellent images and are highly recommended by SANEs, but lack the teleconferencing capability needed to make this project successful. And a price tag exceeding $30,000 makes this type of technology inaccessible to rural and underserved hospitals.”

Using knowledge gained from Miyamoto’s previous work as a forensic nurse practitioner and researcher at the University of California, Davis, the team, which also includes Tom Rodgers, IT manager in the College of Nursing, and John Ilie, facilities coordinator for the Office of the Vice Provost for Information Technology, set out to develop a custom-built telehealth solution that not only provides high-quality images and ease of use, but also will be affordable enough to ultimately be adopted for use in other communities.

“We are working toward developing a mobile solution that will combine the quality, usability and teleconferencing capability of existing devices at a fraction of the cost,” Hartsock added. “By utilizing tools and services offered at Penn State that are compliant with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), we are building a device that will serve as an all-in-one forensic telehealth solution.”

Another technology component — virtual and augmented reality — will support the center’s goal of providing comprehensive training to rural nurses.

“Using chroma key technology, we can record full in-depth simulations in our training center with video overlays of team members explaining key points as the simulation progresses,” Hartsock said. “Virtual reality technology will allow us to design elaborate simulations giving nurses a firsthand view of physical exams as well as courtroom testimony. Many nurses in these rural areas have limited or no experience testifying in court. The simulations will give them the experience and confidence to present their findings accurately and professionally.”

That sense of confidence was emphasized by Kristina Rose, deputy director for the Office for Victims of Crime, in her remarks about the project’s potential for transforming care for sexual assault victims in remote and challenging environments.

“We want to increase the confidence and skills of clinicians who conduct forensic exams,” Rose said. “With support from the SAFE-T Center, we will retain more SANEs in their jobs because they will know a more experienced SANE has their back.

“Quite simply, my vision is for every hospital in this country to have access to expert SANE services so sexual assault victims can receive the compassion and care they deserve,” Rose concluded.

Collaborating with the College of Nursing on the work of the SAFE-T Center are community partners PinnacleHealth, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

Last Updated July 28, 2017