Index AR Solutions has partnered with Riverside Health System for the development of augmented reality apps that can keep patients safe, while increasing the efficiency of health care workers.
Image: The first-of-its-kind augmented reality app from Index AR Solutions and Riverside Health System will help assure proper cleaning of endoscopes. Photo: Courtesy of Business Wire.
As part of this partnership, the first app being developed uses AR and other visual technologies on a tablet to help medical technicians visualize, quickly learn and follow the manual step-by-step process for cleaning endoscope used in nearly half a million gastrointestinal medical procedures each year, Index AR stated.
Index AR claims that this is a first-of-its-kind app developed to help assure proper cleaning of the endoscope by giving workers precise and easy-to-follow instructions through AR and imagery that is overlaid on the actual endoscope device or the displayed 3D imagery.
The company also stated that helpful safety warnings, 3D animations, short videos and written instructions have also been built into the app, presented to users in the context of corresponding steps.
The app will also streamline recordkeeping, which enables managers to automatically log user activity to ensure all the steps were completed and performed within the expected parameters. For example, if a step is performed in five seconds, which typically takes 20 seconds can be flagged for follow-up.
Workers are expected to gain benefits such as increased job satisfaction, as they can quickly master tedious tasks for using the devices and the time taken to train new workers can also be reduced.
Riverside Health System Business and Venture Development current senior vice president and neurosurgeon James Lesnick said: “While Riverside Health System has not experienced issues related to the cleaning and reprocessing of reusable endoscope devices, this is an issue that has caught the attention of the medical community, the public and the press.
“As medical practitioners, it is our responsibility to always look for ways to improve patient care and here, with Index AR Solutions, we believe we have found a way to bring the power of AR technology to bear in hospitals across the U.S. to benefit patients and technicians alike.”
The endoscope cleaning app is the latest in the series AR products from Index AR called SuperApps which have been customized to address common workforce challenges associated with the industry.
The app has been developed using real world scenarios. Once commercially available, SuperApp products can be rapidly procured and deployed by other healthcare institutions to meet their business needs, Index AR reported.