TY - JOUR T1 - Virtual reality experience for in utero fetal surgery: a new era of patient counselling and medical education JF - BMJ Innovations JO - BMJ Innov SP - 95 LP - 97 DO - 10.1136/bmjinnov-2021-000799 VL - 8 IS - 2 AU - Yair J Blumenfeld AU - David M Axelrod AU - David Sarno AU - Susan R Hintz AU - Karl G Sylvester AU - Gerald A Grant AU - Michael A Belfort AU - Alireza A Shamshirsaz AU - Yasser Y El-Sayed Y1 - 2022/04/01 UR - http://innovations.bmj.com/content/8/2/95.abstract N2 - Summary boxWhat are the new findings?A fetal virtual reality (VR) programme was created for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and fetal spina bifida.The programme allows the user to immerse himself/herself in the intrauterine environment and to between understand the pathophysiology of disease, ramifications for the developing fetus, and the proposed intervention.How might it impact on healthcare in the future?The fetal VR programme can be used as an adjunct tool for patient counselling.The fetal VR programme can be used as an adjunct tool for medical education.Using this approach, additional fetal VR programmes can be developed for other fetal conditions.Fetal anomalies complicate approximately 3%–4% of all pregnancies. Counselling expectant parents facing a diagnosis of a fetal structural anomaly or obstetrical complication is challenging. Following image acquisition (usually via prenatal ultrasound (US)), medical providers are tasked with conveying the finding, the pathophysiology of the anomaly, the spectrum of possible outcomes and (when appropriate) a proposed in utero therapy to treat severe fetal conditions. Unfortunately, patients’ limited ability to interpret prenatal US and adjunct MRI studies, and sometimes a limited health literacy, can compromise patient understanding and important decision making. In order to assist with patient education, physicians often use premade illustrations and real-time drawings to represent the difference between normal fetal development and the fetal anomaly. Optimising patient medical understanding is particularly important in cases where fetal surgery is offered as a management option, as patients need to decide whether or not to undertake significant operative risk in order to optimise fetal outcome.Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly being applied to a variety of healthcare settings both for patient counselling and medical trainee education.1–3 Specifically, trainees at all levels of medical and surgical training have described a greater mastery of complex anatomy and favoured the addition of VR to routine education using a lectures and textbooks.4 5 Recently, members of our … ER -