Virtual First-Assistant: Integration of a Novel Virtual Reality Curriculum within Interventional Radiology

Monday, March 6, 2023

5:40 PM – 5:45 PM

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, North Ballroom 120ABC, Poster Hall

Abstract Presenter(s)

JM

John T. Moon, MD

IR/DR Resident Physician
Emory University School of Medicine

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Author/Co-author(s)

RW

Richard Wu, BS

Medical Student
Emory University School of Medicine
CG

Christian Gomez, MD

Resident-Physician
Emory University School of Medicine
KS

Kenneth Shiao, MD

Resident-Physician
Emory School of Medicine
Deepak Iyer, BS (he/him/his)

Medical Student
George Washington University School of Medicine
Zachary L. Bercu, MD RPVI (he/him/his)

Assistant Division Director, Innovation and Strategy; Associate Professor
Emory University School of Medicine
ST

Smryna Tuburan, MD

Assistant Professor
Emory University School of Medicine
JS

Jay H. Shah, MD

Assistant Professor
Emory University School of Medicine

Disclosure(s):

John T. Moon, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Deepak Iyer, BS: No financial relationships to disclose

Zachary L. Bercu, MD RPVI: Terumo Medical Corporation: Speaking and Teaching (Ongoing); XAct Robotics: Advisory Committee or Review Panel Member (Ongoing)

Jay H. Shah, MD: No relevant disclosure to display

Learning Objectives:
Educational objectives of the following exhibit include: (1) Familiarization with a novel virtual-reality (VR) based curriculum for Interventional Radiology trainees; (2) Understanding of methodology of curricular creation and equipment utilized for the purposes of emulation; (3) Understanding curricular integration within existing clinical rotations.

Background: Medical education, and particularly residency training, has long functioned through a combination of didactics and apprenticeship, which many view as expensive and inefficient [1]. Leveraging VR in procedural training may enhance efficiency of resident learning. We describe a novel curriculum developed at our institution for the purposes of simulating the experience of standing in the first-assistant position for common interventional procedures. This curriculum enhances trainee education via simulation and observation of cases prior to direct hands-on patient care in order to decrease potential medical errors, improve trainee procedural confidence, and enhance hands-on reinforcement.

Clinical Findings/Procedure Details: Utilizing Go-Pro Max 360 (San Mateo, California), we recorded common IR procedures from the perspective of a first assistant. The Go-Pro Max 360 allowed for a 360 degree view of the operating room, and thereby capturing the back table, the operating table, and the imaging screens. VR recording required institutional and patient approval, which was secured with waivers for both HIPAA and media releases for each patient. Furthermore, our team developed a standardized process from patient selection to final recording publishing to purge the media of any protected health information (PHI). After removal of PHI, three layers of review were implemented to ensure that the videos are fully anonymous. The first set of curricular recordings include: (1) Non-tunneled vascular access; (2) Tunneled vascular access; (3) Port placement; (4) Thoracentesis; (5) Paracentesis.

Conclusion and/or Teaching Points:

VR-based training carries significant potential to meet the demands of 21st century medical education in an innovative and efficient manner. A novel resident training curriculum was developed using 3D recording software that could be viewed and interacted with in a VR setting. Implementation of this curriculum necessitated a standardized protocol that ensures prudent use of recording time, patient safety and anonymity, and institutional approval. This model provides a framework for future research and use of VR simulation to enhance healthcare professional training.