GADGET GYAN

[07-Apr-2008] Palomar Pomerado Health is currently constructing a revolutionary medical facility in San Diego that will open in 2011. However, thanks in part to its partnership with Cisco, the Palomar West Medical Campus is already a fully functional medical facility...in the virtual world of Second Life. The $810 million, publicly financed hospital recently became the first U.S. hospital to have its public unveiling in Second Life. Palomar West was designed to take advantage of the latest technologies and to be extremely eco-friendly. Healthcare is typically one of the slowest markets to embrace and employ new technologies. This is due to a series of factors including cost, worries about downtime and a lack of technical proficiency among staff. Virtual simulations address these challenges by enabling hospital staff to familiarize themselves with new technologies before they are deployed, reducing deployment times and lowering overall cost. Cisco, long a proponent of virtual simulations in Second Life, regularly helps hospitals design and manages virtual replicas of their facilities so they can test new technologies such as RFID.

Check out this Video:

Highlights of the virtual Palomar West include:

• Cisco TelePresence. Visitors are welcomed to Palomar West in "Second Life" by a virtual receptionist appearing via Cisco TelePresence, a new technology that uses high-definition video and spatial audio to create unique "in person" experiences via the network.

• Advanced Robotics. The simulation shows Palomar West's operating rooms, which include advanced robotics and functional imaging systems capable of supporting medical procedures spanning interventional radiology, cardiovascular surgery, urology and gastroenterology. An advanced surgical cockpit, from where a surgeon can manipulate robotic systems remotely while viewing vital signs and functional imaging information in real time, is also featured.

• Communication and Collaboration. The simulation shows how the Cisco Unified Communications system facilitates smooth patient and clinician communication. For example, a radiologist can locate specialists, contact them on their phones, laptops or PDAs, and initiate a desktop collaboration session to review and consult on patient scan images thanks to the network that links picture archiving systems with communications tools.
  
• 3D Holographic Medical Imaging. Palomar West will feature mobile, remote-controlled, 3D holographic whole-body multimodality medical imaging systems that can be directed into any patient room.

• Connected Real Estate. In the real Palomar West, all building, communication, IT, and clinical systems will be converged onto a single Cisco Medical-Grade Network. The simulation shows how nearly all aspects of a patient's stay (including ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, security, fire and life safety, digital devices, and signage) will be monitored and managed via applications running on a single network, freeing up clinicians to focus on providing the very best care.

• Visibility and Tracking Solutions. Visitors are guided through Palomar West by radio frequency-enabled sensors that enhance security and safety through patient tracking, and that protect hospital property by tracking equipment in real time.