Good Clinical has teamed up with Te Titoki Mataora, the MedTech Research Translator, to bring you the Te Titoki Mataora Podcast Series. In this episode, meet Dr Caz Hales, a registered nurse and academic working in the research field of obesity care within health systems, based at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research focuses on reshaping the approach to healthcare for people living with obesity by advocating for a shift from the stigmas surrounding obesity to creating equitible, safe, and accessible care environments.

A key area of her recent research includes a new project venture with the help of Te Titoki Mataora, which involves the use of virtual reality (VR) technology as a training platform to create innovative educational tools for healthcare professionals, helping them better understand and care for people living with obesity.

You can find out more about Dr Caz Hales here:
Dr Caz Hales - LinkedIn

Podcast Takeaways:

1. Caz emphasises the need to shift healthcare practices from removing the stigmatisation around obesity to creating environments that provide equitable, safe, and inclusive care for people living with obesity (PlwO).
2. Caz’s research is rooted in collaboration with PlwO, their whānau/families, and communities to ensure that their voices and needs are at the centre of developing healthcare services.
3. Caz is exploring innovative approaches, such as using a virtual reality (VR) education platform as a training tool to educate healthcare professionals on how to provide better care for PlwO, focusing on empathy, cultural safety, equipment use, and patient movement safety.
4. Caz advocates for a human-centred approach to healthcare, ensuring that all patients, regardless of body size, have access to respectful, dignified care, including appropriate equipment and support.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to Dr Caz Hales and her Nursing Background
• 06:48 Pivoting into Academia
• 07:53 Current Research Focusing on PlwO 
• 11:05 Inequities in Healthcare Services for PlwO
• 16:01 Importance of Use of Language and Frameworks
• 22:06 Clinically Defining Obesity
• 28:00 Downstream Impacts of a Lack of Equitable Environments for PlwO
• 35:45 Caz's Project Supported by Te Titoki Mataora
• 45:00 Future Directions in Research and Care