Clinicians have received hands-on training in life-saving neurosurgical procedures through a collaborative workshop between the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Neurosurgical team and Wide Bay Hospital Health Service.
The session brought together senior clinicians from Emergency, Surgery, Orthopaedics and Intensive Care.
A highlight of the workshop was the use of high-fidelity 3D printed skulls, created by Biomedical Engineers from the Herston Biofabrication Institute.
The models, which closely replicate human anatomy, enabled clinicians to practise realistic procedures in a safe teaching environment.
Dr Karin Heeney said the day was designed to give regional staff practical skills they may need when specialist neurosurgical services are hours away.
“The Neurosurgical team is actively working to support regional clinicians in developing skills for time-critical, life-saving procedures,” she said.
“This training gave staff the chance to practise with both locally available equipment and new tools, while also discussing how we can strengthen our emergency response across the region.”
Dr Suresh Munugani said the training was vital given the challenges of transferring critical patients to Brisbane.
“About 95 per cent of the time we can safely transfer patients, but in one to five per cent of cases, we need an emergency operation straight away,” he said.
“This workshop helps us gain the skills and confidence to act quickly in those rare but life-threatening situations.”