JuniorDr Features
Michelle Connolly takes a look at some of the latest gadgets (and a robot) that tech heads reckon we won't be able to practise without in the future.
Robodoc ward round Already used in many hospitals across the US, the RP (Remote Presence)-7 robotic system may look like an industrial-sized upright vacuum cleaner but it’s not - it’s a robotic doctor. The flatscreen monitor allows doctors to project their face and control robo-doc’s movement to the patient’s bedside from a workstation. It means consultants can make more than one ward round per day whilst not actually being on site. Evidence-based medicine has shown that 24-7 intensivist coverage in ICUs lowers mortality rates. Robo-doc has been used in hospitals to allow consultant doctors increased presence from home and to consult with patients and their team in the ICU. “Patients love it. I was very surprised how much they enjoy interacting with the robot,” Louis Kavoussi, vice chairman of urology at John Hopkins Hospital told JuniorDr.
> Genetics Island
Genetics Island One of the biggest projects in Second Life is a whole island dedicated to the education of genetics. On the several floors of the main building, you can watch 3D tutorials or simple videos of common genetic experiments. There’s genetics quizzes, virtual experiments, videos and plenty of links to genetic resources. If you get tired of the dozens of educational opportunities you can make test crosses with flowers
“In Second Life you have an immersive environment in which students can actually “do” experiments that produce analysable data.” Dr. Mary Anne Clark Creator Genetics Island
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outside in the garden. Dr. Mary Anne Clark from Texas Wesleyan University, the creator of the island, explained how she came up with the idea: “Well, first, I teach genetics in real life. Second, because so much of genetics is quantitative, it’s easy to simulate genetics experiments in Second Life. Third, one of the problems with teaching online courses is creating meaningful laboratories. In Second Life you have an immersive environment in which students can actually do experiments that produce analysable data,” she said. “I’d like Genome Island to serve as a place where students and other people can meet and talk with professional geneticists.” The future for the future Second Life provides virtually limitless educational opportunities for doctors and medical students. Although it should never be seen as a substitute to ‘real world’ medical education in certain circumstances it should serve as an additional e-learning tool. The problem of credibility is still there at present and that’s why it’s crucial for Second Life educators to validate themselves by showing their credentials and real life identity. These projects have made the first steps into developing medical education in the virtual world their hope is that Second Life will become a second place for doctors and medical students to develop their knowledge. Bertalan is a student at the University of Debrecen and author of www.scienceroll.com.
www.intouch-health.com/products-RP7.html#core
medical inventions
demonstrating neurological disorders. One of the most comprehensive medical sites in Second Life is the Medical Library at Health Info Island which provides support, health information and a growing virtual community. Play2Train is an area designed for training through interactive role playing with simulated cases like mass casualty accidents. Both the Red Cross and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention both maintain a Second Life site. NHS London too, has it’s own hospital in Second Life.
veinviewer Trouble finding a vein and too vain to ask for help? Then try VeinViewer. VeinViewer is an aide for IV insertion and routine venepuncture - especially in paediatrics where small veins can make the process more difficult. Infra-red light from the veinviewer detects haemoglobin and the computer projects a real-time image of the underlying veins directly onto your patient’s skin, so you can locate the vein to within 0.06mm. It is also useful in locating spider and varicose veins and visualising the progress of sclerosant through vessels during treatment of telangiectasias. http://www.luminetx.com/Healthcare/VeinViewer/tabid/60/Default.aspx
Mobile clinical assistant The Motion C5 is a ‘mobile clinical assistant’ (MCA), which lets you access patient records at the bedside and order tests in real-time. The digital camera takes photos of wounds and it is hoped that the built-in barcode reader will cut drug prescription errors by up to 70 percent. Current inaccuracies in prescribing are estimated to cost up to 40,000 lives a year in the NHS. Indeed, a senior doctor has described the C5 as one of the “most exciting developments in my 25 years in medicine”. www.intouch-health.com/products-RP7.html#core
ultrasound steth The background-noiseindependent quality of the ultrasound stethoscope is particularly useful in locations such as at a RTA where background noise can reach 80 dB. In fact you could even use it at the front row of a rock concert, which reaches an earcrushing 120dB. This futuristic steth sends a beam of ultrasound into the body and when it bounces off the heart or an artery, the resultant Doppler effect is converted into sound. www.usaarl.army.mil/