HOUSTON – Students attending the Nelda C. Stark College of Nursing at Texas Woman's University, or TWU, will be able to utilize technology in their curriculum as a result of a partnership among TWU, Memorial Hermann Hospital System and VISICU.

With the integration of clinical informatics, patient simulators and VISICU's eICU telepresence solution, student will have access to technology designed to improve the quality of healthcare.

"We need to be able to utilize what's going on in the hospital in the academic world to better prepare our students," said Anne Coleman, director of TWU's Nursing Education Center.

The technology will advance peer-to-peer learning and care guidance, she said. "We're expanding the use of technology based on our academic needs," she said.

VISICU's tools and products help ameliorate the lack of available personnel and the shortage of specialists in intensive care units by enhancing productivity and efficiency in the care of critically ill patients, said Martin Doerfler, MD, vice president for clinical operations for VISICU.

The partnership of healthcare IT companies and the school to incorporate technology into the curriculum "certainly could be a trend," he said.