A seemingly tradition and disciplined medical profession surgery is perhaps one of the most fast paced and constant in terms of change of all medical disciplines. Alternative and innovative methods constantly come into practise each year and can help to improve the rates of success immensely. New techniques such as key hole surgery and gastric bypasses have seen revolutionary changes in the profession and it is this evolution of proficiency and ability which makes the career so exciting.
Mr Ahmed works as a consultant colorectal surgeon, working mainly to remove cancerous lumps from the rectal areas. He is also the first ever surgeon to broadcast surgery live to 14,000 students using a 'google glass'. The basis for this avant-garde idea comes from a lack of first hand experience of surgery amongst medical students. The extortionate costs of medical school seem wildly disproportionate when you learn how difficult it is for students to catch a glimpse of the action going on in surgeries at the cutting forefront of medicine. Based on this problem Mr Ahmed has given students the perfect view, directly transmitting his own line of site during surgery worldwide. This allows students to access a view they would normally never have the opportunity to and allows them to become more experienced and educated. The project labelled as 'Virtual Surgeons' has been hugely successful worldwide, with the most viewers coming in from more isolated countries where students lack access to surgery. The first surgical procedure received attraction from 300 newspapers in 30 different languages and even gained a segment on ITV news at ten, in addition #googleglass trended on twitter and 'Virtual Surgeons' became the 4th reason why London is the tech capital of the world according to the magazine 'Entertainment Weekly'.
The idea has been taken even further than just simply transmitting information though as students can text questions to the surgeon during procedures and receive feedback. The project is also now being integrated into some curricula including Queen Mary's University's medical programme.
The project has potential yet and could lead on to further developments to do with broadcasting medical practise. There are however some issues being provoked by this idea as some professionals are questioning the privacy issues and pressure for a surgeon that could be invoked by broadcasting surgery. It is also key to remember that lives are saved by doctors and not just technology; overreliance on this miraculous idea could have potentially devastating consequences. Yet this beautifully simple idea, elegantly executed has proven the amazing potential technology has within surgery and healthcare.
-Izzie
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