Tufts is partnering with Farmington, Conn.-based Primacy, a digital marketing firm, to bring virtual reality to the hospital setting. The virtual reality technology will be used in particular in pre-procedural care and education. Through Primacy’s technology, patients will be able to have a 360-degree view of the medical facility and meet clinical staff — all before their surgery or procedure even begins.
“The idea is to make sure patients are familiar with what they’re about to undergo,” said Carey Kimmelstiel, MD, director of Tufts’ Interventional Cardiology Center. “It doesn’t have to be a scary process.”
The virtual reality technology is also useful for physicians. They can use it to obtain pre-procedural consent, explain relevant medical equipment and introduce staff members.
The partnership is still in the planning stages, and there’s no set date yet to implement the virtual reality program. But if all goes according to plan, Tufts will be the first medical center in the nation to implement 360-degree virtual reality in a patient care setting.
“There’s nothing that will ever substitute for the face-to-face, clinician-patient interaction,” said Dr. Kimmelstiel. “But, as they say, an educated consumer is the best consumer. We want any removal of trepidation that can ease patient concerns and [facilitate] a more seamless interaction.”
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