Surgassists® Virtual Reality for Enhanced Patient Consent

Welcome to Surgassists® Virtual Reality for Enhanced Patient Consent. Thank you for following our journey. We are excited to create awareness around patient consent and how Surgassists® provides a solution to clear communication, bridging the gap between complex terminology, anatomical structures, and patient understanding. 

Surgassists® features a 3-4 minute immersive animation that illustrates a patient’s surgical procedure. By using life-size anatomical models and simplified terminology, Surgassists® clearly explains the procedure, including potential risks and complications, empowering patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare.

Traditional methods of patient consent take the form of information leaflets, videos, verbal or drawings however research by Nedball et al. found that the information leaflets are ‘written above the reading level of an 18-year-old, and at least 43% of the population would realistically have significant difficulty understanding them’. Some information only tends to be available in certain languages and is an obstacle to non-English speaking patients. 

In 2024 we conducted research to discover the effectiveness of Surgassists® VR in improving patient understanding and enhancing the consent procedure for patients undergoing Shock Wave Lithotripsy (SWL). The primary outcomes measured include patient knowledge, pain perception, and emotional well-being.

100 patients completed all three questionnaires. 68 patients reported an improved understanding of SWL with Surgassists® VR, and the overall improvement in patient understanding was statistically significant. Participants also found the Surgassists® VR headset significantly more helpful, accessible, and felt more confident explaining the procedure. 66 participants preferred Surgassists® VR to current teaching methods, and 81 firmly favoured using Surgassists® VR for future procedures.

Building on this valuable feedback, Surgassists® has since been further developed to enhance user experience. It is now accessible in multiple languages—English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, and Arabic—aiming to break down language barriers . More languages coming soon…

Research by Tiwari et al. highlights the medical malpractice cost implications for the NHS. In 2019, Medical malpractice cost the UK National Health Service (NHS) £3.6 billion ($4.7 billion) accounting for 2.2% of the NHS annual budget (Office for National Statistics) (In association with the EAU Patient Office).

Phoebe CJ Reynolds founded Surgasists® in 2024 in collaboration with Professor Bhaskar Somani, consultant urological surgeon. With Phoebe's background in MedTech and Professor Somani's world-renowned medical expertise Surgassists® is now available for SWL and will soon be available for Flexible Cystoscopy, Ureteric Stent Insertion (and Removal) and Hysteroscopy.

Sign up for a 14-day free trial by contacting phoebe@surgassists.com. Receive a headset and start using Surgassists® in your clinic.