Simulation Solutions from Elevate Healthcare

Since the appearance of the novel coronavirus and the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic, every aspect of life has changed. For healthcare students in hands-on clinical training programs, social distancing requirements have forever altered the experiential learning environment, which relies heavily on in-person simulation labs. Instructors have had to suddenly adjust as well. Virtually overnight, institutions scrambled to adopt remote learning methodologies in order to keep programs going. While the situation is dire, the opportunity to utilize new technologies, like Extended Reality (XR) and Augmented Reality (AR) simulators that meet these unique demands has never been greater. Here we learn about the powerful new COVID-19 medical simulation XR training and learning system from GIGXR.

The use of advanced technologies in medical simulation, such as extended reality (XR) and holographic imaging, has been steadily increasing for several years. With the advent of the coronavirus, the need to extend the experiential learning environment to accommodate both remote students and instructors has become urgent as well as essential. Imagine being able to be in ANY environment and bring in an Augmented Reality patient with Extended Reality clinical learning tools, by simply donning a Microsoft Hololens 2?

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, GIGXR, a leading provider of XR learning systems for instructor-led teaching and training, accelerated the release of its remote learning technology for mixed reality teaching and training experiences. Part of the company’s new cloud-based immersive learning platform, this capability will enable instructors to safely and simultaneously communicate with all students, whether in the classroom or simulation center, across the auditorium, in a dorm or other campus building, at home, and even in other time zones.

“We were already seeing increased demand for remote learning technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic has only served to make the availability of these technologies more urgent,” commented CEO and founder of GIGXR, David King Lassman. “Unwavering commitment to innovation is one of our most important core values and we saw that customers needed us to help them adjust to and accommodate the new reality.”

The remote learning and social distancing technology is just one part of the recently released GIG Immersive Learning System, which GIGXR believes will not only dramatically improve learning outcomes for the upcoming academic year, but will also become a permanent fixture in the future of immersive learning. Together with new and additional capabilities for its existing products specifically to address the changing requirements of clinical training programs.

HoloPatient: COVID-19 Launches on Microsoft HoloLens

GIGXR has also just announced a free, standalone version of its flagship HoloPatient application for COVID-19. Designed and created in collaboration with United Kingdom National Health Service and Health Education England in response to the need for high-quality, safe, immersive training materials during the ongoing pandemic, HoloPatient: COVID-19 is now available globally on the Microsoft HoloLens store.

Using photo-realistic volumetric video, shot in partnership with next generation digital XR content creator Dimension Studio, HoloPatient: COVID-19 presents learners with a holographic standardized patient to guide learners through four stages of the illness. HoloPatient: COVID-19 helps healthcare providers recognize the common symptoms of the virus, model the assessment and risk stratification of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and understand the signs indicating deterioration and need for escalation of care. No previous experience with Microsoft HoloLens 2 or GIGXR HoloPatient is required, making the application easily accessible for every healthcare training program in hospitals, medical and nursing schools and healthcare practitioners.

HoloPatient COVID-19 includes voiceover guidance, tools and tips to make the application easy for learners to use right from the start. Learners have full use of hand-tracking so they can move, reposition and fully explore the holographic patient using manipulation handles. Voice-command operations allow the learner to verbally adjust settings, such as the use of Fahrenheit or Celsius when collecting or monitoring patient temperature. Plus, the Vitals Panel and Patient Information screens give learners dynamic, visual feedback for each stage of patient progression.

The All-New GIG Immersive Learning System

Developed to meet the simulation requirements of teaching topics and more recently, conducting hands-on activities in a remote setting, the GIG Immersive Learning System simplifies complex, real-life teaching and training scenarios with 3D and holographic video content placed in a physical learning environment.

The cloud-based GIG Immersive Learning System includes mixed reality applications that run on an intuitive, immersive learning platform with all-new features, such as visual login, instructor content customization, session planning and more. Students can participate in sessions on mixed reality headsets using Microsoft HoloLens 2, enabling a fully immersive mixed reality 3D learning experience and 2.5D remote experience on phones, tablets, PCs and Macs. At the same time, instructors can customize specific learning experiences for their students, whether they are working individually or in groups.

For example, instructors can edit the vital signs to overlay comorbidities, such as high blood pressure, or highlight more subtle conditions to expand the utility of the library of virtual, on-demand patients. This also helps to meet additional learning objectives and fit multiple levels of student experience. Additionally, instructors can prepare and save customized session plans that focus on one or more specific pathologies or patient scenarios. All settings can be saved to use in subsequent sessions, standardizing instruction across several student cohorts. In addition, users can annotate their XR scenes and can save these annotations for later review, either within the app or via the platform.

All of these features and more combine to help the GIG Immersive Learning System play a crucial role in ensuring positive learning outcomes for all students in clinical training programs.

New Features for the HoloPatient Holographic Mixed Reality Application

GIGXR’s flagship product, HoloPatient, uses 3D holograms of real, standardized patient actors using volumetric video capture, not avatars or robotic CGI figures. When these real human holograms are displayed in a user’s own physical environment, they deliver a deeply impactful learning experience and promote urgency and empathy.

As a part of the new system, GIGXR has added new features to HoloPatient including five (5) pathologies to the existing content library: Pre-eclampsia, septic shock, dementia, Parkinson’s and hip fracture. These pathologies show natural, life-size holographic patients who are exhibiting key stages of their injuries or illnesses. The growing library of patient simulations delivered in HoloPatient addresses students’ preparation for clinical placements.

Also new to HoloPatient, instructors can annotate or label content in real time to focus student attention and response. To streamline access to XR content and experiences in a time-constrained class setting with a wide range of user abilities, the Immersive Learning Platform enables session calibration that ensures all participants see holograms in identical orientations. Coupled with the platform’s Launch Session feature, it has never been easier to get to what’s important: teaching, learning and collaborating.

Learn More on the GIGXR Website!

Lance Baily Avatar
BA, EMT-B
Founder / CEO
Lance Baily, BA, EMT-B, is the Founder / CEO of HealthySimulation.com, which he started in 2010 while serving as the Director of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas. Lance also founded SimGHOSTS.org, the world’s only non-profit organization dedicated to supporting professionals operating healthcare simulation technologies. His co-edited Book: “Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Operations, Technology, and Innovative Practice” is cited as a key source for professional certification in the industry. Lance’s background also includes serving as a Simulation Technology Specialist for the LA Community College District, EMS fire fighting, Hollywood movie production, rescue diving, and global travel. He and his wife live with their two brilliant daughters and one crazy dachshund in Las Vegas, Nevada.