Digital Technology has surfaced as the real force behind the transformation of India, and interventions using technology have transformed several industries, including banking, telecom, transportation, taxation etc. but healthcare continues to lag behind other industries in using technology with patients and doctors. Today, discoveries in medical science, advances in medical technologies, and enhancements in clinical practices are occurring at an increasingly rapid rate. Yet because of a fragmented healthcare delivery system, many patients are unable to benefit from these developments. It’s time we use technology as a force to drive major improvements in healthcare. At Meditorch Technologies, we have designed a platform called LapGuru that can help in achieving the 3 As of healthcare: accessibility, affordability and availability in Laparoscopic surgery through education, training and practice.

Healthcare suffers from the unintended consequences of continued prevalence of medical laxity. What happens at times is that the very solutions that were implemented to solve specific issues become the basis for further unanticipated problems. For example, a laparoscopic surgeon has to upgrade his knowledge and skill on a regular basis. In order to achieve excellence in his profession, he is required to enroll in various professional courses which could also mean that he may have to leave practice for a while to travel to a certain place to do a certain course. And if he has to manage so many things before he could join a course, he would probably think not to join it at all. So, these courses will have less participation, which is detrimental to the medical education system. But with LapGuru, there is no such challenge. Laparoscopic doctors can get access to the latest developments in laparoscopic surgeries at the click of a button. The benefits of enhanced knowledge and skill are transferred to the patient through better outcomes.

There is enormous potential for digital technology to improve many aspects of how we look at healthcare training and outcome. Digital learning and training tools have a definite role to play in not just training more doctors and enhancing their skills, but also enable them to deliver superior care to their patients. Prospects for using mobile technology have improved significantly in the last few years with the increase in the number of smartphone and tablet users. LapGuru platform and app enables the doctors to use digital technology to research information online, share experiences and identify treatment options, anytime, anywhere.

The increase in capability and decrease in costs of the technology means that financial barriers are becoming less of a concern. For example, medical seminars and conferences are considered an important learning tool for doctors. Many doctors, especially in rural areas can’t attend them just because they can’t afford the high expenses, i.e. spend a lot of money on travel and accommodation beside the regular fees for attending the seminar or conference. This is especially true for the doctors in developing countries. But with live video conferencing, LapGuru has provided a perfect solution. Doctors can watch the conferences at their own convenience from anywhere.

‘Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler,’ said Albert Einstein. Technology is the harbinger of both, tremendous forces for change and tremendous opportunities for transformation. At LapGuru, we have been fairly successful in making use of technology to bring about a change in how laparoscopic surgery education is imparted to bring a transformation in patient care.