Imagine having a hospital outfitted with an operating room, sterilization capabilities, patient care and laser treatment room, pre- and post-operative care room, and even a 46-seat classroom. Now imagine that hospital had wings and could fly to wherever it was needed, helping to train eye doctors around the world.
This idea is now reality with the third-generation Flying Eye Hospital unveiled by nonprofit organization Orbis earlier this month. Last week, OphthalmologyWeb was invited to attend a special press tour of the new plane in Sacramento, Calif. — here’s what we learned.
Hospital with Wings
Orbis’ new Flying Eye Hospital is housed in an MD-10 cargo plane donated by FedEx. The front portion of the plane includes the cockpit and a 46-seat classroom, which also serves as the passenger area for when the plane is in flight. The classroom includes state-of-the-art AV equipment so those sitting in the classroom can watch live surgeries going on in the plane's surgery room, and can even interact with doctors performing the surgery to ask them questions.
The remaining three-quarters of the plane is the cargo section, which encompasses the medical facilities of the plane — patient care and laser treatment room, operating room, sterilization room and a pre-and post-operative care room. According to Orbis, the new plane is the only non-land-based hospital in the world that is U.S. accredited by the AAAASFI (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities International).
A Team Effort
The main purpose of Orbis’ Flying Eye Hospital is to train and educate all levels of eye care professionals around the world. In the past five years, Orbis has facilitated 10,000 doctor trainings and 104,000 trainings for nurses, biomedical engineers and other health care workers. Orbis does this through its pool of more than 400 expert medical volunteers from 30 countries who spend their free time traveling to areas of the world that need eye care.
One of these volunteers is Dr. James Brandt — professor and vice chair of ophthalmology and vision science and director of glaucoma services at the University of California Davis. An Orbis volunteer since 2006, Brandt says he enjoys his work with the organization because of the holistic approach they take to forming partnerships with trainee medical staff and their emphasis on patient safety. “This very much represents a team effort,” he said.
With a subspecialty in pediatric glaucoma, Brandt said there are a lot of children around the world who can go blind from this condition because physicians lack proper training. For instance, anesthesiologists sometimes do not feel safe administering an anesthetic to young children. “We’re training them to do the surgery I do safely,” he added.
A Mutual Benefit
Within the patient care and laser treatment room and operating room of the Flying Eye Hospital, local doctors are given the opportunity to learn different treatment and operating techniques and hone their skills.
For instance, the treatment room houses all the diagnostic tools you would find in an eye doctor’s office, many of which are outfitted with attached screens to allow trainees to experience and observe what the trainer/mentor is looking at. The treatment room also includes the EYESI surgical simulator with modules for both cataract and retinal surgery. And the Zeiss Lumera 700 surgical microscope used in the operating room has a camera attached to it, so procedures can be watched by doctors in the plane's classroom.
“This allows you to train people in a totally controlled environment,” explained Dr. Jonathan Lord, global medical director of Orbis. “They can practice their skills and make sure they are competent and comfortable.”
Before Orbis takes the Flying Eye Hospital to a location, the preparation process can take a year or longer. Orbis staff and volunteer doctors talk to the local medical staff to find out what their particular needs are, and this allows them to build a customized training program based on the needs of the country and its local hospitals.
During the preparation process, Brandt says he talks to upcoming trainees via email to narrow down their case selection. This allows him to establish a mentoring relationship with doctors from all around the world. However, he said the relationship is a two-way street as he gets to see a lot of different medical cases through his volunteer work. "I learn just as much when I go on these programs as I impart education — it's a mutual benefit," he added.
Up and Away!
So what’s next for Orbis’ new Flying Eye Hospital? After finishing up a U.S. “road trip” — which will include stops in New York, Washington, D.C, Memphis, and Dallas — the plane will head on its inaugural program in Shenyang, China in September, and then on to a program in Indonesia.
During its programs, Orbis also uses the plane as an eye-catching way to spread public awareness and advocacy about eye care. This includes inviting local presidents, dignitaries and ministers to tour the plane and learn more about what Orbis does and how they can help. Just in 2015, 2.13 million vision screenings and eye exams were performing on the Flying Eye Hospital and at Orbis partner institutions.
For more information on Orbis and on volunteering, visit Orbis.org.