Objectives To summarise recent developments in emergency care in Kiribati, a developing Pacific Island nation. Multiple donor countries and agencies have partnered in this process. Changes in medical training, staffing models and planned infrastructure developments are all described, with a particular focus on a recent emergency nurse training programme. Methods A bespoke nurse education course was developed by external clinical nurse specialists in collaboration with local administrators and clinicians, incorporating WHO Basic Emergency Care course. The nine‐day course was delivered to 18 nurses, over a 3‐week period to accommodate rostering requirements. Pre‐ and post‐course assessment was undertaken. Results Quantitative assessment improved from 87.11 ± 7.46 (mean ± SD) to 94.89 ± 5.95 (t = 5.45, P < 0.001). Qualitative scenario‐based assessment confirmed marked improvement. Conclusions A multifaceted development strategy has proven essential for progression in emergency care. Nurse education is an essential component of this, and the existing model has potential for other similar nations.

Objective Healthcare workers in Pacific Island Countries face unique workload and infection control hazards because of limited resources, cultural practices and local disease burden. In the context of COVID‐19, concern around healthcare worker safety escalated in the region, triggering the need for a relevant resource. Methods We describe a collaborative, participatory action‐research approach with a diverse range of local clinicians in Pacific Island Countries to design, develop and implement a practical guideline assisting clinicians to work safely during the pandemic. Results The resulting Health Worker Safety Guide for COVID‐19 is a relevant and usable protocol developed using local knowledge and now available in several Pacific languages. Conclusion We recommend a creative approach to facilitate meaningful communication with this group of clinicians, including low resolution technology and use of social media platforms.

Objective: To evaluate the use of cloud-based virtual patients as a tool for engagement in interprofessional distance education (IPDE). Methods: Five pairs of final-year pharmacy and final-year nursing students interacted with an autonomous, real-time, cloud-based virtual patient (VP). They were debriefed after completion of their case and completed a questionnaire on the relevance of the VP to core IPE competencies. Results: The virtual patient approach was considered to be able to cover 25 of the 39 core IPE competencies. From a thematic analysis, there was evidence of students learning from, with, and about each other. Conclusions: The use of cloud-based autonomous VPs could be a successful tool for IPE.