From cardiology to cancer, many of today’s advanced medical devices require precision training before they can be utilized in a patient setting. In oncology, for example, radiologists commonly use linear accelerator machines (LINAC) to deliver external beam radiation to a precise area with minimal exposure to surrounding tissue. Typically, clinicians receive a minimum of eight weeks of training to learn the basics, followed by three months of hands-on learning with ongoing skills assessments. Each trainee must achieve a high degree of precision before moving to patient care.
This intensive training can be a huge cost barrier and is effectively impossible to complete in-person amidst a global pandemic. Hippo’s Virtual Training™ platform can overcome these barriers, with a hands-free, voice-activated, head-mounted tablet effectively bringing the teacher to the student and allowing you to “see through the eyes of the trainer.” The easy to use headset has an intuitive interface with voice-activated technology, high resolution camera and videoconferencing capability built in, making it simple to learn and seamlessly implement into medical training programs.
Immersive, participatory educational experiences at lower cost
The importance of proper training to master medical devices such as LINAC becomes increasingly important as medical technology continues to advance. It would not be possible to obtain the expertise needed over the phone or using a regular tablet. Hippo’s immersive experience prepares students to become experts and is as effective as in-person training.
Using Hippo’s head-mounted device, skilled clinicians or technicians can deliver training to people around the world from a single location. The head-worn tablet’s high-quality camera allows trainees to videoconference in and see from the expert’s point of view as if they were in the room with them. Similarly, trainees can be guided remotely through hands-on sessions, with the trainer providing instructions through Hippo’s two-way videoconferencing platform. Sessions can be recorded and accessed at scale.
Travel and housing costs to train on some of the more advanced medical devices are often prohibitively expensive for many smaller programs. This prevents students from obtaining valuable training and leaves many clinicians without access to expert guidance. Hippo’s Virtual Training platform overcomes these barriers and connects students and clinicians with experts around the globe, without the excess cost (and risk) of travel.
Real-time guidance and mentoring
Many of the medical devices in use today are complex, and clinicians often face medical situations that were not covered in their training at medical school. Hippo’s Virtual Training platform offers continued access for ongoing mentoring and skills accreditation. When faced with a particularly challenging case, the clinician can wear the headset, giving their mentor a first-hand view of the patient and allowing the mentor to walk the clinician through the procedure or device settings or troubleshoot technical problems in real time.
Microwave ablation is becoming an increasingly popular treatment option for cardiac and oncology care. The use of this technology is quickly expanding to a variety of treatment settings, from open surgery to laparoscopic procedures. Hippo’s Virtual Training platform helps physicians keep up to date on the latest developments and even share their techniques with colleagues and students around the country.
Additionally, Hippo’s platform gives professionals the chance to become proficient in rare surgeries and procedures so they can bring those skills into their clinic. Spinal surgery is perhaps one of the most complex repairs. It can involve a range of medical devices to align, repair, and stabilize the spine. With Hippo’s Virtual Training platform, these and other rare surgeries can be learned from an optimal viewpoint, giving experienced surgeons the knowledge they need to incorporate innovative technologies through the real-time guidance of mentors, no matter their location.
Increasingly, clinicians are working across therapeutic specialties to provide integrative care. Many providers may need a refresher course on how to use a medical device from another specialty that they do not regularly encounter. Similarly, new medical staff may need training on unfamiliar technologies, such as remote monitoring devices. Setting up new training sessions can be an expensive undertaking. Hippo’s platform allows medical schools, hospitals and device manufacturers to provide regular training sessions to their students and staff easily and efficiently, whether they are refresher courses or getting new trainees up to speed.
Ongoing training and competency assessments
New technologies are entering the medical field at an ever-increasing rate. Even existing devices continue to advance, adding new features and functionality to provide better patient care. In order to keep up, providers need access to ongoing education and training. State-of-the-art care facilities are continuously evaluating and augmenting their staff’s skills. With virtual training enabled by Hippo, supervised assessments and continuing medical education can take place even during a global pandemic.
Hippo’s Virtual Training platform is effortlessly scalable and built to integrate with third-party applications, making it future-proof and allowing your team to benefit for years to come. With Hippo, you can continue to advance the practice of medicine, no matter the distance.
For further information on Hippo’s Virtual Training™ solutions, visit myhippo.life or contact us at engage@myhippo.life.
