Of all of the applications and tech developers we talk about here, a platform called Proximie has recently caught our eye with its level of professionalism and specialization of its app. It was developed by a company by the same name with teams in Boston, London, and Beirut, which has dedicated itself to taking on the task of creating a dedicated medical augmented reality cloud for medical procedures and telementoring. Think that sounds easy enough? Well, it’s a bit more complicated than it might seem on the surface. It started as a collaborative effort to allow the exchange of ideas between physicians from all over the world, allowing them to promote communication and build skills, learning from more than just their immediate colleagues. With time, the seemingly farfetched idea evolved into a platform that is able to promote the exchange of knowledge anywhere in the world–with just the press of a button.
So, what kind of equipment do you need to run Proximie? Any tablet, smartphone, or laptop, as long as it has a camera and internet connection (and that includes ethernet, wifi, 3G, and 4G.) Proximie will allow specialists to have remote access to any other physician with the Proximie system installed, and to provide his or her input through a digital pen, marking the instructions directly over the surgical field without even being present. It will also, conversely, allow a physician who needs a consult to request a specialist’s help without having to wait for him or her to travel to their location. This simplistic idea benefits the patient, allowing them to get the best treatment possible even if a physician is perplexed by a case, and also physicians and students. The applications for surgical training are obvious, since the instructions will be overlayed onto the actual surgical field, but the possibilities go beyond that. Proximie could mean that a surgeon will never be out of their league again, and we have already explored the idea with Cybercare 2.0.
The social impact has been massive. Proximie has already formed collaborations with the Global Smile Foundation, Facing the World, EsSalud Hospital Trujillo, the Peru Cleft Program, and Al Awda Hospital in Gaza. All of these alliances will help the surgeons affiliated with these foundations to provide their patients with the best care possible, and with premium surgical expertise even with not-so-premium surgical experience. We have already mentioned it in ARinMED, but it’s important to say it again: the number of people in the world is increasing exponentially, while the number of surgeons and physicians are dwindling. We invite you to take a look at the video below, where an 18 year old boy named Fadel had an unexploded ordnance go off in his hand. Proximie and AR technology allowed him to receive the best treatment possible even after the tragedy.
While this might sound futuristic, we’re not talking about the year 3000–this is technology that is available here and now. It’s the AR revolution, and it’s taking over medicine step by glorious step. It’s not only saving lives as we speak, but it’s easy to use and readily available–Proximie also functions as a cloud service, which means that there is no on-site installation necessary, and it respects the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), which is to ensure the privacy of patients and guaranteeing the confidentiality of electronic medical records. The videos and files stored on the Proximie system are stored in a safe and ethical way, and since it’s a cloud, it can fit entire libraries of medical procedures and advice from the best physicians in the business. I wish I’d had something like this when I was in school!
We might seem like we’re gushing, but it’s unusual to get an AR platform that is ready to use anytime and anyplace. Proximie is here and ready to improve medical care for patients everywhere. We really encourage you to check out the Proximie website, but we will definitely keep you informed with any updates on this company! Let us know what you think about it in the comments section!
