From
StayCurrentMD
Telementoring panel discussion: Comparative Technology in Telementoring 2016
With Dr. Todd Ponsky · hosted by Dr. Todd Ponsky
Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Talk to your (or your child's) care team about your situation.
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What the experts said
Google Glass has been off the market for approximately one year as of this discussion
Google Glass form factor allows wireless 3G/4G connectivity without fixed room infrastructure
Google Glass cannot effectively illustrate tissue planes and enable fine telestration detail for surgical guidance on where to dissect and cut
Lower fidelity but more scalable technology may be appropriate for later stages of progressive surgical training after initial observation and supervised cases
Google Glass battery life was approximately 15 minutes for recording or operative use
Heat buildup on the head was a limitation of Google Glass during extended use
Pristine company stripped down Google Glass operating system to extend battery life and decrease heat buildup
For meaningful surgical cases, Google Glass required wired connection to external battery pack
Europe will face a similar surgeon shortage to the United States
Surgical telementoring may decrease the length of surgical education
To become board certified in the United States, surgeons must take written or oral tests, but no one checks if they are good surgeons
The American Board of Surgery originally included observation of surgeons operating in their examination process
Surgeon mentality is one of the biggest hurdles to telementoring adoption, including reluctance to show weakness or ask for help
Having a mentor or advisor physically present in the operating room improves patient outcomes
Policymakers view telemedicine primarily as direct patient interaction for care delivery and do not understand telementoring as a quality initiative
There is a lack of good quality studies on surgical telementoring due to logistical obstacles and cumbersome technology
An international surgical quality registry for telementoring cases could generate meaningful evidence in 10 years rather than through small series of 10-20 cases
Medical-legal concerns and fear prevent widespread telementoring adoption and limit case volume for research
Licensing and credentialing frameworks must be established before surgeons will feel comfortable performing telementored cases at scale
64% of audience poll respondents believe the mentor should not have a prior relationship with the patient
A recently published paper projects a shortage of 2,000 to 3,000 general surgeons in the United States within a few years
Residents finishing residencies need mentoring in their first two years of independent practice
Patient outcome is directly related to surgeon technical ability