Symposium 4 - Technology Solutions and Trends in Healthcare Training

Extended Reality (XR) technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), are revolutionizing surgical guidance and medical training. This abstract provides a concise overview of the latest trends in XR applications, highlighting their benefits, challenges, and future prospects.


In surgical guidance, XR technologies enhance surgical precision and patient outcomes. VR-based simulations allow surgeons to practice procedures in realistic environments, reducing learning curves and enabling the development of new techniques. AR and MR technologies offer real-time overlay of medical data, aiding surgeons during procedures and improving accuracy.


In medical training, XR provides immersive and personalized learning experiences. VR-based modules allow trainees to practice procedures in virtual environments, tailored to their needs. XR facilitates remote collaboration and telemedicine, benefiting underserved areas.


Despite their potential, challenges remain. Hardware limitations, costs, integration with existing systems, and data privacy need consideration. Validation and accreditation of XR-based training programs are crucial for effectiveness and safety.


Looking ahead, advancements in hardware, software, and AI algorithms will enhance XR systems. Integration with robotics and 3D printing holds promise for improved surgical procedures and personalized care.


In conclusion, XR technologies are transforming surgical guidance and medical training. By enhancing surgical precision, improving training outcomes, and redefining learning experiences, XR has the potential to reshape healthcare. Overcoming technical and regulatory challenges is crucial for realizing the full potential of XR in these domains.

• The presentation provides a overview of localisation of immersive VR technology in
healthcare, i.e., medical training and rehabilitation training, with case study illustration
• Medical training: from practising in educational institutions to on-job training in
hospitals, how the immersive VR technology to be applied in training General Nursing
and Nurse Specialist without risking patients' lives and providing unusual scenarios for
risk management?
• Along the long recovery time, it is not easy to keep up with patients' in rehabilitation.
Motive Force will show case various resources saving technologies that gamify
rehabilitation trainings, motivate patients and enhance training efficiency
• Community localisation of rehabilitation technology: how to empower medical staffs to
provide community based measurement to pinpoint patients' needs at low cost
• Rehabilitation training technology are currently adopted in Occupational Therapy,
Physiotherapy and Psychiatry. Training purposes including improving physical and mental
health, as well as community inclusion so that the training users can live independently
with dignity, or at least alleviate disease progression in order to achieve a better living
standard
• Covered topics: physical training, fall prevention, cognitive trainings, reminiscence
therapy, IADLs, safety trainings, life & death education
• Testimonials and case sharing of nursing trainings, post-stroke, intellectual disabled and
physical disabled users
• Application in primary healthcare, a prospect of dealing with challenges of aging
population and public health service

In orthopaedic oncology, surgical planning and intraoperative execution errors may result in positive tumor resection margins that increase the risk of local recurrence and adversely affect patients' survival. Computer navigation and 3D-printed resection guides have been reported to address surgical inaccuracy by replicating surgical plans in complex cases. However, limitations include surgeons' attention shift from the operative field and expensive navigation facilities in computer navigation surgery. Practical concerns are the lack of real-time visual feedback of preoperative images and the lead time for manufacturing 3D-printed objects. 
When surgeons clinically examine bone tumor patients, they must mentally process and correctly overlay the patients' virtual 2D medical images and 3D bone-tumor models onto their anatomy. Appropriate surgical exposures and the osteotomies along desired planes are then decided. This spatial ability to mentally generate and manipulate abstract models is difficult for tumors of various extents and regions with complex anatomies. Both computer navigation and 3D-printed resection guides facilitate precise osteotomies only after surgical exposure. 
Mixed Reality (MR) is an immersive technology that merges real and virtual worlds, and users can interact with digital objects in real time. Through Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), holographic 3D models generated from 2D medical images are superimposed on the patient's anatomy in their physical environment. It enables surgeons to better spatially understand bone tumors in actual patients before the surgery starts. The emerging MR technology adds a new dimension to digital assistive tools with a more accessible and less costly alternative in orthopaedic oncology. The MR HMD and hand-free control may allow additional on-demand medical information with online assistance from remote users, greatly facilitating clinical point-of-care inside or outside the operating room and improving service efficiency and patient safety.
The talk includes the background of MR technology, how to integrate it into the existing clinical workflow, early clinical experience in an HA setting, and the challenges ahead.