Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS FT and the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, have partnered with US tech company GigXR, to introduce hologram patients as part of mixed reality clinical training.
The technology provides an immersive 3D learning application to help students assess, diagnose, and treat conditions through holographic simulations. The company said it helps to standardise patient scenarios and can support remote learning for students, anywhere in the world.
At CUH, the first training models to be created will be focused around emergency scenarios and deteriorating chronic conditions, and are said to include ‘realistic medical responses’.
Instructors will be able to share scenarios, change patient responses, introduce complications and record observations and discussions. The partnership plans for the launch of the first simulations during 2022.
Dr Arun Gupta, CUH consultant and Director of Postgraduate Education, Cambridge University Health Partners, said: “Simulating real-world, real-time medical care requires interactive, responsive patients, training tools and evolving scenarios that conventional methods cannot accurately recreate.
“By partnering with GigXR, we hope to kick off a new era of simulation that facilitates the seamless exchange of global medical knowledge which transforms theoretical insights into true-to-life practice.”
Dr Riikka Hofmann, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at University of Cambridge, added: “With mixed reality, we can overlay as many or as few digital elements on the learner’s physical space as needed, whether that is simply the hologram patient or with medical equipment. This ensures the environment is relevant to the training.”
To find out more, the company has released an overview video of the technology:
