虚拟现实技术成为医院培训利器

一些医院正在利用虚拟现实技术对医护人员进行操作流程培训。这种培训方式不仅有利于受训者充分理解培训内容，还能帮助医疗机构大幅降低培训成本。

移动虚拟现实设备如Google Cardboard、Gear VR和VR One正在改变医院和医疗服务提供商培训医生、护士和医务人员的方式。

增强现实和虚拟现实技术公司Next Galaxy Corp已经与迈阿密儿童医院展开合作，针对心肺复苏术、鼻胃管插入、导尿管插入、插管法、静脉注射、伤口护理、海姆立克式操作法等操作流程，开发虚拟现实医疗教学软件。

尽管虚拟现实技术还处在初级阶段，但它的用途已经开始显现。迈阿密儿童医院首席执行官纳伦德拉•基尼博士声称，在接受虚拟现实技术培训一年之后，受训者的记忆留存水平高达80%，而传统培训的这项数据仅为20%。基尼表示，人们实际上是在创造记忆，就像他们之前做过同样的操作一样。

基尼表示：“通过虚拟现实技术，人们能高度理解培训内容，因为人类主要是视觉动物，而虚拟现实技术就是一种视觉传达模式。我们相信，反复的训练并维持技能的熟练度，在许多场合下能够对医疗效果产生重大影响。很多情况下没有足够的病人来让医护人员熟练这些技能，虚拟现实技术就可以作为补充。也想象一下我们需要通过练习获得认证的场景。在这种情况下，虚拟现实技术简直就是天赐之物。”

虚拟现实技术培训还能帮助医院和医疗机构降低成本。Next Galaxy公司首席执行官玛丽•斯皮奥表示，病患教育和医护人员的职业培训占据了医疗保健费用中很大的一部分。医疗保健的知识每过6到8年就会翻一番，所以新技能培训的需求始终存在。

例如，美国有6.5万家老年看护中心，平均每年要为每位员工花费3000美元培训气管插管。这项操作十分复杂，在虚拟现实技术出现之前，只能在活人身上练习。由于老年看护行业的离职率非常高，每家机构每年为这项特殊培训花费的成本可能高达几万美元。

不过Next Galaxy正在开发一项横跨任何iOS和Android移动设备的虚拟现实技术软件，其使用成本非常低廉。使用虚拟现实技术培训气管插管，也免去了前往特定培训中心的需要，每人的培训成本仅仅40美元。

除了节省成本之外，虚拟现实技术培训还有其他优点。Next Galaxy的虚拟现实技术软件使用了Leap Motion力反馈技术，如此一来，医护人员在操作错误时，能够有所感觉。在真正的病人身上操作时伴随着许多风险，如器官穿孔、可能的治疗失当或是引发其他法律诉讼。

Next Galaxy正在与许多医院、诊所、护养院、辅助医疗机构和医学院，就多项虚拟现实技术教育项目进行合作。斯皮奥表示，目前的视频和图表等培训方式，留下了许多需要人们去想象的空间，而虚拟现实技术可以用逼真的3D数码成像栩栩如生地展现出器官。

斯皮奥表示，有关心肺复苏术和海姆立克式操作法的虚拟现实软件已于2015年第4季度在iTunes和Google Play上架，每款售价4.99美元。如此一来，人人都可以通过虚拟现实技术学习这些救生技巧。

基尼相信，随着时间的推移，虚拟现实技术会融入消费者的体验中，成为护理沟通、获取许可、向病人解释操作步骤等一切医疗环节的标准。（财富中文网）

译者：严匡正

审校：任文科

Virtual reality allows medical professionals to practice procedures that don’t occur frequently in real life.

Mobile virtual reality devices like Google Cardboard, Gear VR, and VR One are changing the way hospitals and health care providers are training doctors, nurses, and medical personnel.

Augmented and virtual reality company Next Galaxy Corp has partnered with Miami Children’s Hospital to develop virtual reality medical instructional software for procedures like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), nasal gastric tube insertion, Foley catheter insertion, intubation, starting an IV, wound care, and the Heimlich maneuver.

Although still in its early days, VR usage is paying off. According to Dr. Narendra Kini, CEO at Miami Children’s Hospital, the retention level a year after a VR training session can be as much as 80%, compared to 20% retention after a week with traditional training. Kini says people are actually creating memories, so it’s like they’ve done the procedure before.

“The level of understanding through VR is great because humans are primarily visual and VR is a visual format,” Kini says. “We believe that there are numerous opportunities where repetitive training and skill set maintenance are critical for outcomes. Since there are not enough patients in many cases to maintain these skill sets, virtual reality is a real addition to the arsenal. Imagine also scenarios where we need to practice for accreditation and or compliance. In these situations virtual reality is a god-send.”

VR training also helps hospitals and medical facilities reduce costs. Mary Spio, CEO of Next Galaxy, says that patient education and medical professional training and proficiency are a huge part of health care costs. Because health care knowledge doubles every six to eight years, there’s a constant need for new proficiency training.

For example, the 65,000 elderly care facilities in America currently spend on average $3,000 per employee to learn tracheal insertion. It’s a specialized procedure that before VR could only be practiced on a live person. With the high turnover in the elder care industry, this particular training can cost tens of thousands of dollars per facility annually.

But Next Galaxy is developing its VR software to work across any iOS or Android mobile device, so the cost of entry will be very low. Tracheal insertion training in VR, which also eliminates the need to travel to specialized training centers, costs just $40 per employee.

And there are other benefits to VR training besides cost savings. Next Galaxy VR software uses Leap Motion force feedback technology so that health care professionals can feel when they’re doing the procedure wrong. Practicing on real patients carries the risk of major consequences such as the perforation of organs, and potential malpractice and other lawsuits.

Next Galaxy is working with multiple hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, assisted care facilities, and medical schools on multiple VR educational projects. Spio says current methods like videos and diagrams leave a lot to the imagination, while VR can bring realistic 3D digital representations of organs to life. Spio believes VR can eventually help everyone from surgeons and radiologists to incoming medical students.

Spio says the CPR and Heimlich VR software are also available on iTunes and Google Play in Q4 for $4.99 each, so that anyone can learn these life-saving techniques through VR.

Kini believes over time VR will permeate the consumer experience and become the standard for everything from communicating care, obtaining consent, and explaining procedures to patients.