Signals Brief: Fresenius launches AR training app for ICU Staff

"Ready4 AR" program trains ICU nurses on the Fresenius CKRT system

This week Fresenius made an exciting announcement in the world of education and training. For the first time, Fresenius will use augmented reality (AR) to train medical staff in the ICU setting.

The new AR application, called Ready4 multiFiltratePRO AR, combines digital learning elements with real-life training on the Fresenius Continuous Kidney Replacement Therapy (CKRT) system.

“Ready4 AR” will launch in select markets in Q2 2024 followed by broader launches in Europe, MENA, and APAC regions. The CKRT system is currently being used in over 40 countries across the globe.¹

Why now?

The learning program reinforces initial training and supports new staff who need to get up to speed on the Fresenius CKRT system quickly.

Nursing shortages in the ICU are a significant concern in hospitals and healthcare systems worldwide (see below) — especially given high staff turnover rates and staff taking on new tasks at short notice.

This approach to training aims to address the staffing challenges the industry is currently facing and to support the increasing demand for flexible, high-quality ongoing education to reinforce basic training.

In a world where staffing will continue to dominate the short list of challenges across care settings, we must find better, faster, more cost-effective ways to help care teams get up to speed quickly and confidently, while also reducing any friction that stands in the way of life-saving medical devices reaching the patients who need them most.

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Enter: Spatial Computing

Imagine any complex medical device that requires extensive training to operate. Dialysis is a great example — and one I’ve written about often with colleagues at IKONA and across clinical nephrology.²

For every dialysis device there is a training program designed to get new users up to speed over the course of hours, weeks, or maybe even months. During this ramp-up period, the learner often has access to a trainer in 1:1 or group settings. There are entire training facilities dedicated to this training for patients. Realistically, it takes a while for anyone, provider or patient, to acquire “enough” practice on the new technique or device before they’re ready for their first live use.

In an ideal world, short of developing this expertise with complete accuracy, that healthcare professional would have access to an on-demand trainer to guide their use of the device, either in-person or virtually like we see with many technical support programs out there today.

But what if we could combine the accuracy of a 1:1 session with an expert with the real-time guidance of a technical support specialist, and could access it on-demand?

That’s where tools like augmented and virtual reality come in — what many in the industry refer to as spatial computing. It’s the blending of our physical and virtual worlds in ways that give us humans new ways of interacting with each other, and the world around us.

In a not too distant future, the best products will leverage spatial computing to equip clinicians, patients and care partners with the knowledge, skills, and support they need to be successful from setup to safety on any treatment they choose.

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Related Reading

• Last month’s Signals Q&A on device innovation underscored the importance of device education across stakeholder groups from R&D to commercial launch.

• Last month Boston Children’s announced the launch of its CyranoHealth app that leverages the new Apple Vision Pro headset to offer comprehensive training on new medical equipment for frontline workers.

• Balboa Nephrology just announced its strategic partnership with IKONA to transform education and training for its patients, families, and staff using virtual reality.

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Data

Here are a few relevant charts worth highlighting from the most recent USRDS Annual Data Report. These are specific to home modalities (HHD and PD) and patient-facing data, but the take home is to highlight the importance of training (# of sessions) and outcomes.