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The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) together with a global leader in holographic healthcare training introduced an innovative gastrointestinal module for the acclaimed HoloScenarios application.
This collaboration represents a remarkable leap forward in medical education, providing students with hyper-realistic clinical simulations that encompass the entire patient journey, transforming the way future medical professionals are trained.
HoloScenarios: Gastrointestinal stands out in the realm of medical education as it harnesses the power of mixed reality (MR) to simulate a wide range of gastrointestinal pathologies, equipping learners with the skills and knowledge necessary to diagnose and treat acute gastrointestinal diseases.
The module is a result of the collaborative efforts of esteemed medical professionals and educators from NUS Medicine, who specialise in Gastrointestinal (GI) Surgery and holographic medical training. This partnership showcases the evolution of healthcare training, offering learners an unrivalled educational experience that transcends traditional virtual reality (VR) step-based training methods.
Associate Professor Alfred Kow Wei Chieh, Assistant Dean (Education) at NUS Medicine, highlights the significance of this collaboration. He emphasised that gastrointestinal pathologies are intricate and demanding to diagnose.
HoloScenarios: Gastrointestinal offers learners a three-dimensional understanding of the gastrointestinal tract, allowing them to delve deeper into the complexities of anatomy and bodily functions. He strongly believes that mixed reality is the future of healthcare training and that partnerships will bring vital content to a global audience, ultimately leading to improved patient care.
The module’s introduction also heralds a new era in medical training by enhancing the realism of diagnosing and treating acute gastrointestinal diseases. While traditional VR has primarily been used for linear skill-based training, HoloScenarios: Gastrointestinal delivers a comprehensive clinical environment that mirrors reality, complete with holographic patients and medical equipment.
Learners can interact with these holographic elements and practice both technical and soft skills, such as patient empathy and effective communication, all within a safe-to-fail environment designed to reduce cognitive load.
Moreover, the mixed reality aspect of this training allows learners to freely move around the holographic patient, fostering clear visibility and awareness of their physical surroundings. This feature is pivotal as it ensures learners can focus entirely on mastering critical gastrointestinal treatment, diagnostic procedures, and communication skills, without the hindrance of being confined to a virtual “box” that VR often imposes.
Dr Gao Yujia, a Consultant and Assistant Group Chief Technology Officer at Singapore’s National University Health System and Vice Chairman of The Holomedicine® Association, emphasised the importance of applying medical knowledge in a clinical context. HoloScenarios: Gastrointestinal equips learners with the ability to visualise diseases in three dimensions, allowing them to better understand how to apply their learning in real-world clinical settings and within collaborative healthcare teams.
The range of situations covered by HoloScenarios: Gastrointestinal is impressive, spanning gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal obstruction, and chronic liver failure. Learners are presented with complex and potentially life-threatening situations, such as stabilising dehydrated or bleeding patients, and are equipped with the knowledge to perform the necessary diagnostic procedures.
One of the most remarkable aspects of this innovative training module is its accessibility. Learners can access HoloScenarios: Gastrointestinal from anywhere, using mixed reality headsets or common Android and iOS devices. This remote access to highly immersive simulations is a game-changer, especially in a world where distance and mobility are increasingly important.
HoloScenarios: Gastrointestinal is just the latest addition to the growing catalogue of licensable training modules. Its introduction signifies a monumental step in medical education, enabling students to explore holographic patient simulations, clinical scenarios, anatomy, pathophysiology, and 3D medical imaging.
HoloScenarios: Gastrointestinal is set to launch in Spring 2024, further solidifying its commitment to revolutionising medical education on a global scale.