Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob L. Greenberg | 210514-N-DA693-1053 SAN DIEGO (May 14, 2021) Capt. Gordon Wisbach, Naval Medical...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO – Naval Medical Center San Diego’s (NMCSD) new Virtual Medical Operations Center (VMOC) hosted its first multi-site surgical telementoring session May. 14.
Surgical telementoring involves video teleconference communication between a mentor, a more senior surgeon or specialist, and a mentee, typically a junior provider, prior to or during a procedure to share knowledge and guidance.
“Today’s session was momentous,” said Capt. Gordon Wisbach, NMCSD’s Bio-skills Training and Simulation Center surgical director and one of the VMOC’s most senior surgeons. “Specialists from Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood, Tx., Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, and Madigan Army Medical Center in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., dialed-in for a mock procedure with some of NMCSD’s ear, nose and throat as well as general surgery specialists.”
Wisbach said that the multi-site telementoring session was more than a proof-of-concept, and showcased the technology and capability of the Defense Health Agency (DHA).
“Now that all branches [of the military] fall under one agency, the opportunities to cross-train, share information, help each other and work alongside professionals from other branches have exploded,” said Wisbach. “We have a synchronous, reliable communication channel through the VMOC that allows surgeons to talk in real time around the world with crystal-clear imagery.”
A surgeon in the mentor role is there to support a colleague with whatever question they may have because patient care is every provider’s primary concern. Wisbach looks toward the future for the VMOC’s capabilities.
“At NMCSD, two of our operating rooms are currently equipped with telementoring capabilities,” said Wisbach. “We will perform another demonstration with a robotic surgical system that features picture-in-picture screen capabilities, and more in-depth visualizations like telestration.”
Telestration is the ability for a mentor to digitally draw on a screen in augmented reality, so a mentee surgeon can better visualize shared information.
NMCSD’s VMOC cost approximately $4.5 million and has been planned since 2019. Its potential as a broadcast center is virtually unlimited, and will serve as a template for other VMOCs at military medical centers around the world. Wisbach posits that, despite the initial cost of the VMOC, the Department of Defense and DHA can save money by not having to deploy highly-specialized surgeons around the world and limit patient travel.
NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere.
Visit navy.mil or facebook.com/NMCSD for more information.
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.18.2021 18:36 |
| Story ID: | 396729 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 521 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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