Our Blog | IKONA Health

Chronic kidney disease is an under-recognized public health risk, causing more deaths than breast cancer or prostate cancer. Kidney disease ranks as the ninth leading cause of death in America, and approximately 20% of dollars in traditional Medicare—$114 billion a year—are spent addressing kidney disease in Americans. One of the best ways to reduce the prevalence of kidney disease, and to slow its progression once the disease takes hold, is through high-quality education and training.

In this report, we address four specific aspects of kidney care that could be enhanced with high-quality education and training. These include high-quality education and training around:

Kidney Structure and Function: What it does, how it works and where it fits more broadly in the renal system.

Kidney Problems: The warning signs and nature of kidney disease, and ways to mitigate risk.

Kidney Treatment: Treatment options, including the pros and cons of in-clinic dialysis versus at-home dialysis.

Dialysis Machine Care, Maintenance, and Use: The care and maintenance of home dialysis machines and step-by-step knowledge of how to use the systems.

Contents

Introduction

Many people view "learning" only in the contexts of education and training applications. This report focuses on the use of virtual reality to enhance learning across healthcare. We begin with a rigorous definition of the term “learning” and show that learning is broadly applicable in healthcare, going well beyond just education and training. Next, the neurobiology of learning is reviewed. Finally, three use cases in healthcare learning are outlined. In each case, we take a storytelling approach by introducing the reader to a hypothetical individual with a problem for which virtual reality can be of service. Finally, we end with closing remarks and areas for further discussion.

Meet Bill.

Bill is a 60-year-old former construction worker and Desert Storm veteran. He has been divorced for 20 years and has two grown children. He has struggled with alcohol addiction for nearly 40 years and it has affected his personal and professional life. Bill is estranged from his ex-wife and children, has difficulty with personal relationships and has been unable to find work for the past 5 years, in large part due to the negative impact of his addiction on his treatment of fellow employees. Bill is losing faith in himself, the healthcare system, and has contemplated suicide more than once.

Meet Jerome.

Jerome is a 29 year old Registered Nurse who lives and works in the Heartland of America. Jerome received his R.N. in early 2019 and immediately found employment in a nearby hospital in St. Louis. He was excited to put his knowledge and skills to work in the interest of patient health and well-being. As with so many newly-minted RNs he found the job exhilarating, but he also felt like there were some significant gaps in his training. In particular, he noticed very quickly that interpersonal skills are central to providing high-quality healthcare, yet this was almost completely absent from his formal training.

When he expressed this concern to his more seasoned colleagues they all nodded their head in agreement and assured him that effective communication skills training would be learned on-the-job. It was unspoken, though clear, they all agreed more training on these critical skills ought to be available in school.