UC Davis Health System is partnering with Orbis International, a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO), to use telemedicine to treat and prevent blindness in developing countries.
The agreement will have UC Davis specialists in telemedicine, IT, ophthalmology, anesthesiology and nursing working with Orbis on staff development, fellowships and programs on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, which is a mobile teaching hospital on board a DC-10 jet. Trainees will be able to get training through UC Davis Center for Health and Technology simulation center and Orbis's telehealth program for real-time surgical demonstrations. It will also include live broadcasts of eye surgeries, where trainees can observe and ask questions in real time.
"Advances in telecommunications technologies and broadband capacity in developing countries has created new opportunities to improve training for physicians, nurses and other members of the healthcare team and expanded access to healthcare services among the world's most vulnerable populations," Thomas Nesbitt, associate vice chancellor for strategic technologies and alliances at UC Davis, said in a statement.