Leveraging Web-Based Solutions in Surgical Training and Patient Care

by Lisa D. Ellis

In today’s fastpaced healthcare environment, two innovative hospitals are finding new and exciting ways to leverage web-based technologies—both to strengthen their own internal strategies and also as vehicles to share research, training, and lessons learned within the broader medical community.

Nicholson Center’s commitment to education

The Florida Hospital Nicholson Center in Celebration, FL (just outside of Orlando) is on the cutting edge when it comes to integrating technology into all of its multifaceted research and training operations.

The Nicholson Center’s extensive facility spans 54,000 square feet and regularly plays host to clinicians, surgeons, and entire medical teams looking to get up to speed on the latest in clinical and surgical techniques and best practices in simulated environments that replicate real-world situations and challenges, explains Roger Smith, PhD, Chief Technology Officer.

Nicholson has made a name for itself in minimally invasive robotics and computer-assisted surgery, says Smith. Such techniques are becoming more commonplace in many hospitals today and can provide improved range, precision, and control for intricate operations when used by trained experts.

To date, more than 60,000 medical professionals have rotated through the Nicholson facility over the past decade, and most have benefited from the center’s intensive educational offerings and tools, which include audiovisual integration and telemedicine equipment, digital services, wet and dry labs, and a virtual “game room” with surgical and clinical skills stations that present challenges, such as “thread the needles” and “dominoes.” These exercises provide participants with a full range of skills and knowledge and prepare them to enter the simulated operating rooms where they will have access to surgical robots and other important tools.

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