Patients at Crescent Regional Hospital can schedule a non-touch visit with their doctor or any range of medical specialists from the Dallas area, or anywhere in the world, through the magic of spatial computing. The once-ailing hospital is now using holograms for non-touch patient visits and plans to expand its uses of holographic technology, Holoconnects announced Wednesday.

WHY IT MATTERS

Three-dimensional telehealth can help improve patient care visits, just as it helps train surgeons, doctors and nurses across the globe. 

With a full view of a patient's anatomy, surgeons can better navigate during surgical training and live operations, while nurses benefit from the simulation-training opportunities that hologram technology can provide. Through holograms, doctors at Lancaster, Texas-based Crescent Regional Hospital are projecting themselves into patients’ rooms, the Netherlands-based 3D holographic technology vendor said.

Holoconnects said it previously installed an 86" Holobox display and video studio at the hospital and trained Crescent's clinicians, staff and technical operations team to use the technology. Now the hospital plans to add 24" Holobox Mini displays at several additional locations to increase the use of the technology among the hospital's clinical and specialty staff.

Raji Kumar, Crescent's CEO and managing partner, said in a statement that integrating the technology within its hospitals will shorten patient wait times, increase access to specialty care providers and "improve patient care across multiple disciplines."

While patients can access hologram visits for presurgical and postsurgical consultations, including cardiology, emergency care, gastroenterology, neurology, orthopedic care, pulmonology, general surgery, spine health, wound care and more, telemedicine rounds will help Crescent's doctors "economize" their time. 

Doctors could save up to 20 hours each week, Holoconnects contended.

They can also use hologram technology for remote patient consultations, potentially eliminating long wait times, and for collaborative care planning.

Crescent plans to expand its use of real-time hologram technology to assist with remote diagnostics, remote surgery assistance, language interpretation, medical training and education, and medical device demonstrations, Holoconnects said.

Kumar purchased the hospital in 2018 upon the precipice of its closure and prioritized technology in improving service to its predominantly African-American and Latino patient population, according to the announcement. 

Crescent performs 2,000 orthopedic, spine and other surgeries annually and opened a cardiac catheterization lab last year.

THE LARGER TREND

Immersive experiences and spatial-computing applications also benefit patients. Augmented reality has been shown to distract patients from the anxiety of waiting and diagnoses, as well as pain. 

UCHealth launched its first mobile AR experience for patients, who can use their devices to interact with virtual dogs while waiting for appointments. 

Earlier this year, San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare announced the launch of a Spatial Computing Center of Excellence through a partnership with Epic and Dutch information analytics firm Elsevier. 

The Center is focused on developing holographic technology to enhance patient care with the Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset.

ON THE RECORD

"Teleporting our doctors in real time to connect and speak with our patients from any location as a life-size hologram gives our patients access to the healthcare they deserve," Kumar said in a statement.

"It also saves our doctors one of their most precious resources – time – enabling them to see as many patients as possible."

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.