The Innovative Use of HoloLens2 in the fetal cardiac servcies during COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Introduction: COVID-19 prevent expectant parents of babies with congenital heart disease (CHD) from visiting cardiac surgical units prior to the birth of their baby who may be separated early for treatment. Pre-recorded video-clips or telephony consultation are generic and cannot deliver individual needs, especially in complex care pathways. We demonstrate our pilot experience using HoloLens 2 (Microsoft, Washington, USA) to deliver bespoke one-to-one virtual tour of the hospital and acute cardiac service environment. Methods: Families with antenatal diagnosis of significant CHD were offered the virtual tour in their third trimester. Parents and Fetal Nurse Specialists communicate via Microsoft Teams (Microsoft 365, Washington, USA) on portable electronic devices. HoloLens was deployed by the Nurse Specialists to provide oneto- one audio-visual experience, with opportunity to interact and raise questions. All parents participated remotely from the hospital site. The first 5 sets of parents had company of a second Nurse Specialist during the tour, in case of adverse psychological reaction. Due to zero negative event, the presence of the 2nd Nurse was optional subsequently. All were asked to complete a questionnaire. Results: Over the 3-month period, 25 sets of parents participated in the quality improvement survey. Respond rate was 96%. 85% said the virtual visit met or exceeded their expectations for preparedness, 80% said they liked that it allows them to 'visit' the hospital without physical attendance and associated costs of childcare/leave from work/travel time, 80% said it is a great use of technology, 70% liked that they were able to interact with the nurse specialist during the visit, 80% would recommend a virtual visit to other families and only 10% said they would have preferred to visit the hospital in person. Conclusions: The innovative use of HoloLens in cardiac fetal services is proven useful for the family, enabling preparedness for the arrival and early separation of their babies. Its deployment met the needs to continue high quality service in critical time. Whilst not intended to replace physical consultation;however, this technology proves to be an effective option for parents once the pandemic has passed.