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ultrasound anywhere: virtual reality tool aims to change the face of rural healthcare for canadians

healthcare in rural communities is lacking, but a new telehealth ultrasound tool can change that for the better.

by angelica bottaro

published nov 25, 2024

4 minute read

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4 minute read

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david black, a phd student at the university of british columbia, created the "game-changing" invention to address inaccessible healthcare in remote communities. supplied

virtual reality isn’t simply a gaming tool, as evidenced by a new medical imaging invention created by phd student david black at the university of british columbia in vancouver, bc. black, whose research focuses on using digital advancements such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality in medical robotics, recently demonstrated a new ultrasound tool that could potentially transform rural healthcare.

his “game-changing” invention won him the mitacs innovation award for outstanding innovation. the tool utilizes a combination of mixed reality, a point-of-care ultrasound probe, and sensors to allow anyone to perform an ultrasound up to 750 km away from their care provider.

“medical robotics and medical imaging together, i think, have a lot of potential,” said black. “it’s really fun to research, so that’s what i do.”

how the technology works

the teleultrasound system works like any other ultrasound machine by capturing images through sound waves sent into the body from a transducer. however, instead of going to the doctor’s office or imaging centre, people can perform this test on themselves – or other non-healthcare professionals, known as followers, can perform it remotely.

the person conducting the imaging wears a mixed-reality headset with a glass visor and uses an ultrasound probe. this allows them to see both the patient and a set of virtual objects in the visor designed to guide them through the ultrasound.

on the other end, the healthcare provider uses a robotic device equipped with haptics – technology that creates sensations through vibrations, motions, or other movements—allowing them to “feel” the ultrasound in real time. by holding a probe shaped like the one used on the remote patient, the device enables a “hand-over-hand” guidance experience.

along with the haptic device that allows the healthcare provider to feel the ultrasound as it takes place, there is also a camera in the visor, giving them the ability to see what’s going on. a line of verbal communication between them and the patient or follower is also open the entire time. lastly, there are position centres to bring it all together.

“when the follower pushes down on the patient, we can actually feed this force back to the experts (healthcare provider), and then this is applied to their haptic device so that they get force feedback. so, they can see the images, they can see the environment, and they can also feel the patient with their hand,” said black. “it’s a very intuitive and immersive experience for them and the follower. it’s very easy to track.”

black goes on to say that it’s so realistic that stenographers who have taken part in tests felt as if “they were doing it in person.”

“sometimes they forgot that they weren’t actually touching the patients,” he continued.

to check if the new technology would provide accurate results, black and his team of mitacs interns took to skidegate, a remote village on graham island in british columbia. ultrasounds were given to people in the region, over 750 km away from the experts analyzing the data.

every person who performed the tests in skidegate was inexperienced in ultrasound, an essential aspect of the research needed to garner the best results, leading to the discovery that a person doesn’t have to be a medical professional to be able to use the probe device effectively.

“a pregnant woman could potentially scan herself, guided by an expert,” said black. “so, this makes it really accessible to a lot of people.”

so far, all the tests conducted have been as accurate as ultrasounds given in person, unlocking a world of ultrasound capabilities unlike anything that’s been done before.

addressing current barriers to care with robotics and vr

currently, care for people living in rural or remote communities is highly inaccessible. for example, a community of 1,400 people in bc, known as bella bella, spends half a million dollars each year transporting patients to and from vancouver for much-needed ultrasounds. these patients must fly and spend as many as three days away from home for a simple one-hour appointment.

that reality isn’t confined to bella bella. hundreds of thousands of canadians in rural communities lack access to primary care, which can lead to unmet health needs, poorer health outcomes, and higher healthcare costs.

“it’s important to highlight how needed this is in canada, and actually also around the world. for example, germany, which is obviously much smaller and way more densely populated than canada, they still have some difficulty providing good healthcare to rural communities,” said black. “so, even a country like that has these struggles … it’s relevant everywhere, and it’s also very relevant to first nations communities in canada.”

black goes on to say that, in some communities, accepting certain types of care can be difficult because of what is and isn’t culturally acceptable. so, to be able to provide remote care where a family member or friend can perform the scan also helps improve culturally sensitive healthcare.

black’s invention can essentially change ultrasound care for those who need it most, adding another telehealth tool to the kit for canadians and, eventually, other communities worldwide.

what’s next for the invention

the mixed-reality ultrasound device is still in its research phase, but black hopes to refine it and, as soon as enough data is available, make it available to those who need it by testing the device in more communities to determine its effectiveness and compatibility with the current clinical landscape in canada. he aims to do whatever he can to ensure that “this doesn’t just end in the lab, but that it actually does end up in communities.”

“it has some limitations in the haptics because it’s still research, but we are working,” he said. “and we’re pretty close, i think, to being able to apply it to basically any kind of scan and then you could use it for anything.”

angelica bottaro

angelica bottaro is the lead editor at healthing.ca, and has been content writing for over a decade, specializing in all things health. her goal as a health journalist is to bring awareness and information to people that they can use as an additional tool toward their own optimal health.

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ultrasound anywhere: virtual reality tool aims to change the face of rural healthcare for canadians

healthcare in rural communities is lacking, but a new telehealth ultrasound tool can change that for the better.

how the technology works

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