The tech treatment

Medical students are using hologram patients to hone their skills with life-like training scenarios. The project at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge is the first in the world to use the mixed reality technology in this way.

Students wear Microsoft HoloLens headsets that let them interact with the patient while still being able to see each other. Lecturers are able to alter the patient’s response, make observations and add complications to the scenario. It enables realistic and immersive safe-to-fail training which can be delivered remotely as well as in person.

The first module, covering respiratory conditions and emergencies, has already been launched and more are planned around cardiology and neurology.

The HoloScenarios system is being developed by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Cambridge and US-based tech firm GigXR.

Consultant anaesthetist Dr Arun Gupta, who is leading the project in Cambridge, said: “Mixed reality is increasingly recognised as a useful method of simulator training. As institutions scale procurement, the demand for platforms that offer utility and ease of mixed reality learning management is rapidly expanding"

Read more about the project