890 Surgical Multidisciplinary Team Meetings Are Enhanced by Collaboration in the Metaverse

Abstract

Abstract Aim Multidisciplinary team meetings (MDT-Ms) are utilised as a clinical decision-making tool. Currently, these are in-person or remote, using screen-sharing of patient health records including clinical findings, numerical data, and imaging (2D/3D). Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) is an emerging technology allowing multiple care-providers to remotely interact with patient data in the metaverse. Our aim was to develop an IVR metaverse for MDT-M and test its feasibility and efficacy in the orthopaedic trauma setting. Method Interviews of users attending existing orthopaedic trauma MDT-Ms at a regional major trauma centre identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) for a novel platform. Iterative testing allowed feature development and curation of twenty-four simulated cases from previous admissions. User experience in pilot MDT-Ms was measured using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and System Usability Scale (SUS). Results An IVR metaverse platform was developed and four MDT-Ms were successfully conducted with healthcare professionals (n = 13). Participants found ‘data visualisation’ and ‘clinical decision-making’ effective in IVR: median 5 (IQR 4-5); and 5 (IQR 4-5) respectively. Ratings on ‘ease of communication’ in the metaverse were varied with a median of 3 (IQR 2-4.5). Qualitative analysis highlighted the strength of IVR for collaborative interrogation of 3D anatomy and injury patterns. The NASA-TLX domain ‘task performance’ was rated consistently highly. Conclusions Healthcare professionals can conduct MDT-Ms using a novel platform on commercially available IVR headsets. Participants were able to collaboratively interrogate clinical data, facilitating enhanced discussion, decision-making, and perceived task performance. Future iterations will focus on role designation to improve communication in MDT-Ms.