Can VR training churn out better surgeons? (MedCityNews)
As technology makes inroads into healthcare, traditional assumptions regarding medical education and training are also being put to the test.
In the field of surgery, a startup hoping to alter how surgeons and medical students specializing in surgery get trained is Osso VR. The Palo Alto, California company has developed an immersive VR experience using its own software and the Oculus Rift device that can train surgeons looking to perform specific orthopedic procedures.
In a recent interview, Dr. Justin Barad, CEO of Osso VR and a practicing pediatric orthopedic surgeon, explained he intends to give medical device companies a new way to work with surgeons such that the latter gain proficiency in a certain procedure quickly. That stands in direct contrast with current training standards.
‘The paradigm of the traditional method to learning a new technology is typically a device company will sponsor a surgeon to attend a course where they will get to practice for a single day and then that’s it,” Barad declared.
The hope is that they get better over time by practicing on patients. This system has creates a fear in adopting new s...
