A revolution in surgical training for Kenya

A new digital platform allows Kenyan surgeons to access international expertise and empowers medical students with hands-on learning experiences from real surgical cases. The solution is the result of a collaboration involving KENET, the national research and education network (NREN) of Kenya, and telemedicine technology provider Proximie.

Proximie’s technology breaks down geographical barriers, allowing surgeons to participate in or observe surgeries remotely and in real-time. Surgeons at the Tenwek and PCEA Kikuyu Hospitals can receive immediate guidance from world class experts, no matter where they are, ensuring that knowledge is transferred when needed, enhancing both patient safety and surgical outcomes.

The role of KENET has been to provide dedicated internet bandwidth and offer stable and fast internet connections. This connectivity ensures that the participating hospitals can efficiently use Proximie and other digital tools for medical training and practice.

A comprehensive surgical library

Beyond telepresence, Proximie’s platform excels in content management by securely recording and storing surgeries, transforming these procedures into valuable educational resources. This feature enables institutions like PCEA Kikuyu Hospital to build a comprehensive library of surgical knowledge, which can be edited, annotated, and shared for learning purposes.

The ability to review past surgeries equips surgeons and medical students with the tools to consistently refine their skills and adopt best practices. Proximie’s analytics further support continuous improvement, as surgical video data can be analysed to identify patterns, optimise workflows, and improve patient safety.

Solving connectivity issues

For the PCEA Kikuyu Hospital, KENET played a pivotal role in enabling the use of Proximie by extending a 1-gigabyte fiber connection to the hospital’s theatre. The KENET Network Operation Centre provided a direct connection to the theatre using KENET fibre, without routing through the entire local area network (LAN). Initially, KENET was only present at Kikuyu Hospital as a backup internet provider, not the primary connection. However, when Proximie approached KENET requesting high-quality connectivity, KENET offered to connect them using Kikuyu’s 20 Mbps backup link.

In another case, at Makueni Hospital, a member of the Surgical Society of Kenya approached KENET requesting high-quality connectivity for remote surgical training. KENET extended its fibre line, which was passing near the hospital, directly into the theatre. This improved connectivity, ensuring smooth surgical sessions and enhancing the quality of care during remote operations.

These cases highlight KENET’s role in strengthening healthcare connectivity, enabling remote surgical training, improving patient care, and supporting innovation in medical education.

The text is inspired by the article “Revolutionizing surgical training: The impact of KENET and Proximie” at the KENET website.