Digital technologies are expanding throughout healthcare. For a while now, we have seen them developing to improve the quality of care and it’s accessibility. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated their implementation like never before, with an added focus on finding new ways to protect healthcare staff. Mixed-reality (MR) technology is the latest iteration of telemedicine innovation and may be the next step towards leveraging digitally supported clinical care and medical education.
In this article, we zero in on a type of mixed reality smart glasses named Hololens and take a look at the exciting new research surrounding its application in medical environments. As experts in the field, we are thrilled to see how this technology has the potential to revolutionize care both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Introduction to Hololens and the HoloLens2
In the medical and healthcare fields, VR simulations have been used to reproduce the organs of humans, to visualise health data and to educate medical students and trainees. Also gaining popularity has been mixed reality (MR) technology, which blends elements of both Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. Amongst MR developments Hololens have taken the lead, demonstrating to be of increasing value to healthcare.
The technology was first developed in 2010 as an add-on for Microsoft’s Xbox game console (“With HoloLens, Microsoft aims to avoid Google’s mistakes”, 2016). They later evolved into what we know as Hololens today, a pair of mixed reality smart glasses developed by Microsoft that allow to manipulate spatially registered 3D holographic content. The past few years has seen a growing application of their use throughout clinical practice, including psychiatry, rehabilitation treatment, telemedicine support and even to assist surgical operations (Park et al., 2021).
Study details
In 2019, Microsoft came out with The HoloLens2. The new model features bidirectional communication with multiple remote users via video, voice, and MR integrations as well as the capability to simultaneously collaborate and work within the visualized environment. This ability to remotely link with multiple devices spiked an array of research. Amongst these were a group of researchers from Imperial College London in England. The researchers noted that the new model was a fitting candidate for the delivery of ward-based secondary care in high-risk environments (Martin et al., 2020). The pilot study thus proceeded to evaluate the applicability of HoloLens2 for the delivery of remote care across a range of inpatient settings in a UK teaching hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic response. The aim of the study being to assess the practicalities and impact of deploying MR telemedicine technologies for improving staff safety during the pandemic (Martin et al., 2020).
A prospective, observational evaluation of the HoloLens2 was carried out across 52 patients, spread across three specialist COVID-19 units and amongst 28 members of staff. Staff had no previous experience using the HoloLens2. To assess the value of Hololens in this setting, they recorded (1) data about staff exposure to high-risk COVID-19 environments, (2) personal protective equipment (PPE) and (3) the acceptability and feasibility of using Hololens.
Study Results – What they found
Seven weeks of collecting data revealed that HoloLens2 significantly minimized exposure to hospital-acquired infections, optimized the use of PPE, and enhanced aspects of care. In detail, Hololens reduced the time that staff were exposed to harm from COVID-19 exposure by 51.5 percent. There was also a 83.1 percent reduction in the amount of PPE used. In total, this summed up to 222.98 hours of less exposure to COVID-19, and 3100 fewer PPE items used each week (Martin et al., 2020). They also found feedback suggesting that it did not impact the quality nor consistency of care provided to patients, and may have even enhanced some aspects of care that have been compromised due to covid regulations.
Takeaways & Applications
The project demonstrated that wearable MR devices may play a role in protecting staff and reducing PPE use during pandemic responses. More broadly, the researchers concluded that it points towards new uses of MR in telemedicine with the potential for greater applicability outside of the immediate response to COVID-19 (Martin et al., 2020). They also highlighted the use of MR to empower clinicians to collaborate more effectively and improve dissemination of information. However, as voiced by some users during the study, It’s important to note that greater technologization means that team members do not spend as much one on one time with patients, which in turn could negatively impact the quality of the doctor-patient relationships.
It’s still early days for MR technology, however, the researchers foresee future steps moving towards the provision of digitally supported clinical care and education (Martin et al., 2020). It is vital, however, that further work is undertaken to understand the full potential of this technology as well as its impact on care. While COVID-19 has led to greater deployment of telemedicine and related technologies, it has lacked research, with little significant evidence for its safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness. Further evidence and more work is still needed to cement the technology in everyday practice, however, the first experience of using the HoloLens2 in high-risk clinical areas has shown to be promising.
Digital technologies are expanding throughout healthcare. For a while now, we have seen them developing to improve the quality of care and it’s accessibility. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated their implementation like never before, with an added focus on finding new ways to protect healthcare staff. Mixed-reality (MR) technology is the latest iteration of telemedicine innovation and may be the next step towards leveraging digitally supported clinical care and medical education.
In this article, we zero in on a type of mixed reality smart glasses named Hololens and take a look at the exciting new research surrounding its application in medical environments. As experts in the field, we are thrilled to see how this technology has the potential to revolutionize care both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Introduction to Hololens and the HoloLens2
In the medical and healthcare fields, VR simulations have been used to reproduce the organs of humans, to visualise health data and to educate medical students and trainees. Also gaining popularity has been mixed reality (MR) technology, which blends elements of both Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. Amongst MR developments Hololens have taken the lead, demonstrating to be of increasing value to healthcare.
The technology was first developed in 2010 as an add-on for Microsoft’s Xbox game console (“With HoloLens, Microsoft aims to avoid Google’s mistakes”, 2016). They later evolved into what we know as Hololens today, a pair of mixed reality smart glasses developed by Microsoft that allow to manipulate spatially registered 3D holographic content. The past few years has seen a growing application of their use throughout clinical practice, including psychiatry, rehabilitation treatment, telemedicine support and even to assist surgical operations (Park et al., 2021).
Study details
In 2019, Microsoft came out with The HoloLens2. The new model features bidirectional communication with multiple remote users via video, voice, and MR integrations as well as the capability to simultaneously collaborate and work within the visualized environment. This ability to remotely link with multiple devices spiked an array of research. Amongst these were a group of researchers from Imperial College London in England. The researchers noted that the new model was a fitting candidate for the delivery of ward-based secondary care in high-risk environments (Martin et al., 2020). The pilot study thus proceeded to evaluate the applicability of HoloLens2 for the delivery of remote care across a range of inpatient settings in a UK teaching hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic response. The aim of the study being to assess the practicalities and impact of deploying MR telemedicine technologies for improving staff safety during the pandemic (Martin et al., 2020).
A prospective, observational evaluation of the HoloLens2 was carried out across 52 patients, spread across three specialist COVID-19 units and amongst 28 members of staff. Staff had no previous experience using the HoloLens2. To assess the value of Hololens in this setting, they recorded (1) data about staff exposure to high-risk COVID-19 environments, (2) personal protective equipment (PPE) and (3) the acceptability and feasibility of using Hololens.
Study Results – What they found
Seven weeks of collecting data revealed that HoloLens2 significantly minimized exposure to hospital-acquired infections, optimized the use of PPE, and enhanced aspects of care. In detail, Hololens reduced the time that staff were exposed to harm from COVID-19 exposure by 51.5 percent. There was also a 83.1 percent reduction in the amount of PPE used. In total, this summed up to 222.98 hours of less exposure to COVID-19, and 3100 fewer PPE items used each week (Martin et al., 2020). They also found feedback suggesting that it did not impact the quality nor consistency of care provided to patients, and may have even enhanced some aspects of care that have been compromised due to covid regulations.
Takeaways & Applications
The project demonstrated that wearable MR devices may play a role in protecting staff and reducing PPE use during pandemic responses. More broadly, the researchers concluded that it points towards new uses of MR in telemedicine with the potential for greater applicability outside of the immediate response to COVID-19 (Martin et al., 2020). They also highlighted the use of MR to empower clinicians to collaborate more effectively and improve dissemination of information. However, as voiced by some users during the study, It’s important to note that greater technologization means that team members do not spend as much one on one time with patients, which in turn could negatively impact the quality of the doctor-patient relationships.
It’s still early days for MR technology, however, the researchers foresee future steps moving towards the provision of digitally supported clinical care and education (Martin et al., 2020). It is vital, however, that further work is undertaken to understand the full potential of this technology as well as its impact on care. While COVID-19 has led to greater deployment of telemedicine and related technologies, it has lacked research, with little significant evidence for its safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness. Further evidence and more work is still needed to cement the technology in everyday practice, however, the first experience of using the HoloLens2 in high-risk clinical areas has shown to be promising.
References
Martin, G., Koizia, L., Kooner, A., Cafferkey, J., Ross, C., & Purkayastha, S. et al. (2020). Use of the HoloLens2 Mixed Reality Headset for Protecting Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prospective, Observational Evaluation. Journal Of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e21486. https://doi.org/10.2196/21486
Park, S., Bokijonov, S., & Choi, Y. (2021). Review of Microsoft HoloLens Applications over the Past Five Years. Applied Sciences, 11(16), 7259. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167259
With HoloLens, Microsoft aims to avoid Google’s mistakes. Reuters. (2016). Retrieved 22 February 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-microsoft-hololens/with-hololens-microsoft-aims-to-avoid-googles-mistakes-idUSKCN0YE1LZ.
Martin, G., Koizia, L., Kooner, A., Cafferkey, J., Ross, C., & Purkayastha, S. et al. (2020). Use of the HoloLens2 Mixed Reality Headset for Protecting Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prospective, Observational Evaluation. Journal Of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e21486. https://doi.org/10.2196/21486
Park, S., Bokijonov, S., & Choi, Y. (2021). Review of Microsoft HoloLens Applications over the Past Five Years. Applied Sciences, 11(16), 7259. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167259
With HoloLens, Microsoft aims to avoid Google’s mistakes. Reuters. (2016). Retrieved 22 February 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-microsoft-hololens/with-hololens-microsoft-aims-to-avoid-googles-mistakes-idUSKCN0YE1LZ.
Leave A Comment