How VRiMS uses the Crescent Vision Live to help improve healthcare in Kenya

VRiMS, A virtual reality medical training organization, conducted a live streamed video training in Kenya to over 50 surgeons and trainees all over Africa using the Crescent Vision Live. The training was executed using a 360 camera, a PTZ camera, and a Crescent Vision Live.

The state of medical training in Rural Africa
In recent history, the main focus in the mission to improve the medical conditions in developing countries has been on Primary Health Care (PHC) and combating diseases such as Malaria, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia and malnutrition. However, often unnoticed, deaths related to easily treatable surgical conditions are unfortunately very common, especially in remote rural areas, where surgical facilities and qualified surgeons are rarely available. Improving the quality and availability of basic surgery in these rural areas is thus becoming a major concern for public health officials worldwide. Focus on providing general surgical training is thus still an important factor in improving general healthcare in the African continent. Some companies aim to close this bridge between facilities, tools, and expertise in Africa and Europe. One such organization is VRiMS.  VRiMS is a non-profit venture between a UK surgeon and film producer that uses Virtual Reality and Immersive video to teach surgical procedures . 

The Kenya Stream

On this occasion, VRiMS set out to Kenya to stream a number of surgical training sessions on cadavers with students and surgeons of the University of Nairobi. The hands-on training was performed by members of the University of Nairobi faculty with lectures from surgeons in the UK remotely.

The training sessions were then streamed live globally. Reaching over 50 students and surgeons from all over Africa while numerous students watched live from inside the training room.

The use of Crescent Vision Live

Having used the Crescent Vision Live (CVL) for training sessions in the UK before, the smart headcam has since become a staple in VRiMS Co-Founder and Engineer Nick Culley’s setup. With the CVL, he went from taking 4 boxes of videography equipment per stream to a single travel case. 

“The Crescent Vision Live is a fantastic surgical production tool for my live 360°VR surgical broadcasts." - Nick Culley

Furthermore, the ease of use allows the surgeons and users to adapt easily to the CVL, saving on time taken to train the surgeons to use the device. 

The wide angle makes a great addition to the setup by showing an immersive view of the whole operating area, showing clearly what tools were used and what happened around the direct area of operation. Additionally, the zoom camera gave a clear close-up of the procedure from a unique perspective.

Reactions from both the Surgeon wearing the headcam and the students have been positive, with many students in the training room preferring to sit and watch the TV than physically watch the procedure over the surgeon’s shoulders. 

‘Trainees stopped standing around in the room and watching from behind the surgeon and lots of them ended up watching the TV’ - Nick Culley

 Crescent Med is excited to keep adding value to the VR experience created by VRiMS and are looking forward to being part of their future streams and trainings.

Want to see how the Crescent Vision Live can help you stream surgeries? Request a free demo here