Abbott (NYSE:ABT) announced today that it launched its first virtual reality-based training program for interventional cardiologists.
The company’s new training program uses VR with traditional training techniques to increase experience and expertise in using Abbott’s optical coherence tomography (OCT) to improve outcomes in patients who need a stent to open clogged arteries, according to a news release.
Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott’s training portfolio is designed to offer experience with new therapy options, imaging and diagnostic tools, with VR implemented for OCT training to enable the physicians to have the experience of being in the catheterization laboratory by sitting in the “driver’s seat” of the imaging technology.
Powered by Oculus Go, Abbott’s new OCT VR training programs seek to enhance decision-making for physicians using OCT instead of angiography, thanks to a base of comprehensive OCT experience and input from St. Francis Hospital chairman of cardiology Dr. Richard Shlofmitz.
The company said higher accuracy in medical practice was shown in 87% of studies by those trained with VR against traditional techniques, while Abbott’s own research showed that VR techniques improved cath lab staff learning engagement by 45% and knowledge retention by 72%.
“Abbott’s new OCT training enables interventional cardiologists to receive more in-depth, experiential training to encourage more precise diagnoses, while healthcare systems will experience cost savings through a reduction in the number of staff training courses needed,” VP of global commercial operations for Abbott’s vascular business Harvinder Singh said in the news release. “Furthermore, the virtual reality training program will not only enhance accuracy to improve patient outcomes, but it also furthers the industry’s adoption of innovative technologies in healthcare.”