Virtual Reality for Anatomy and Surgical Teaching.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant challenges when it comes to the delivery of education across multiple domains. There has been a shift in paradigm towards the use of new innovative methods for the delivery of training within medicine and surgery. In this chapter, there is an outline of one such innovative method, the use of virtual reality for anatomy and surgical teaching. At all levels of training, undergraduate through to postgraduate specialty-based training, conventional methods of learning anatomy have had to be adapted due to difficulties encountered during the pandemic. The importance of hands-on cadaveric anatomy experience in surgical training cannot be understated. The decline in face-to-face sessions, as well as a reduction in bedside training due to the prioritisation of service provision and diminishing time spent in theatre have meant less exposure for trainees when it comes to learning procedural skills. Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery, a free for trainee resource utilising virtual reality technology, delivered 51-week courses with the aim to ensure high-quality training still occurred. The authors believe there is immense potential for immersive technology when it comes to the future of training within medicine and surgery.

Using digital innovation to support anatomy and surgical education during the pandemic

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on healthcare education. With restricted access to traditional teaching aids such as the cadaver, educators had to adapt their teaching practise to minimise disruptions to students’ educational process. However, cadaveric dissection is highly regarded as a key component of anatomical and surgical education. This was particularly challenging when teaching was purely online due to pandemic restrictions. To accommodate the shift to online delivery only, the Anatomy Department at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) adopted a variety of synchronous and asynchronous teaching methods. As part of this strategy, the department extended its provision of anatomy teaching by live streaming cadaver dissections to first year medical students (n=220). BSMS was the first UK medical school to use this innovative digital tool. A Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery (VRiMS) course was also developed to provide training to surgeons worldwide. This work explores the place of cadaver‐based education in a true blended learning provision. Cadaver dissections were live streamed from the dissection room using operating theatre lights and a 4K camera via Microsoft Teams. These sessions were also interactive in nature, allowing students to ask questions throughout the dissection. Student feedback was collected through module and end of year evaluations. The VRiMS course provided a platform to demonstrate surgical procedures on cadavers using live streaming with virtual reality or 360 cameras. Surgeons were able to choose multiple camera angle perspectives through virtual reality headsets. Course participation data was used to determine the useability of this novel method of teaching and training. Module evaluation showed that the overall quality of delivery for anatomy practical sessions was rated as good and very good by 86% of the cohort. Moreover, 93% of students found the material to be just right. In the end of year evaluation, students have indicated that live streamed dissection sessions were one of their favourite aspects and has had a positive impact on their time at BSMS. In total, 1354 participants from around the world have watched 923 hours of live broadcasted content across four VRiMS courses to date. The course has seen a 52% increase in participation rate since its launch. The evaluation findings suggest that a hybrid learning approach with the use of live streaming for anatomical education has had a positive outcome on student satisfaction. Furthermore, VRiMS course participation data indicates that virtual reality has a promising future in surgical training. Live streaming and virtual reality have proved successful in bringing the dissection room to medical students and surgical trainees during unprecedented circumstances. This approach has the potential to prevent the complete loss of interactive cadaver‐based education and a probable solution to cadaver scarcity.

Head and neck oncological ablation and reconstruction in the COVID-19 era - our experience to date.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to the routine operations of healthcare services across the world. As the potential duration of the pandemic remains uncertain, the need to develop strategies to continue urgent elective services has received increasing attention. A solution adopted in the Kent, Sussex and Surrey area of England has been to create COVID-19-protected cancer hubs. The Queen Victoria Hospital is the designated hub for head and neck cancer services in the area. We report on the evolution of the head and neck cancer care pathway and standard operating protocols put in place and how these have combined both national guidelines and local problem solving. It is hoped that our experience can help guide other centres as they re-establish head and neck cancer services during the ongoing pandemic.