Brain Revealed: Innovative Technologies in Neurosurgery Study Erasmus Project

Project Title

Brain Revealed: Innovative Technologies in Neurosurgery Study

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Health and wellbeing; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Neurosurgery is the branch of surgery that involves the highest accuracy. That is why a transition from classical surgery in neurosurgery; to the new, minimally invasive treatment alternatives must be known, accepted and used globally. The general trend is towards less invasive approach, which improves patient outcomes, recovery time and quality of life. Neurosurgery, due to its complexity, is not included in the curricula of most of bachelor programmes in Medicine, thus, students do not get any orientation when faced with their employment in a Neurosurgical Department.
Participating in international workshops is still a big financial challenge for resident doctors and physicians, making the training and access to state-of-art information impossible due to financial and no other reasons.

Having carefully analyzed the context and the needs in the field, BrainIT project aimed at:
1. Employ the strategic use of ICT technologies in teaching/training activities by using a telemedicine approach to create an innovative best practice environment in the form of a 3D live-transmission from Operation Rooms where students can experience non-invasive surgery procedures.
2. Create interactive teaching and training aids for students using 3D reconstructions of the skull and brain on various pathologies.
3. Besides offering a modern way of delivering specialist education the program, improving the competences of students and resident doctors participating in the program was one of the main goals, as the remote part of the program was accompanied by 14 days ‘traineeships’ in a working hospital, where they got to experience real life work accompanying the whole diagnostic process. This way the participating students were able to increase their practical skills in neurosurgery, giving them relevant knowledge and assets required by the labour market, for when they decide to have a career in this domain.
4. Create a reader-friendly online platform which can facilitate the access of students, graduates, residents and even physicians without material possibilities to new technologies and new discoveries in neurosurgery. This was available to anyone regardless of their status or situation to get free, unrestrained access to high quality information.
5. Create freely-available “Brain Revealed – Handbook for Students and Practitioners” that was mainly comprise all the important information delivered during the three years project.
6. Make a closer connection between European neurosurgery centers. Transnational collaboration at this time is not a strong one, at least in the case of Romania, the neurosurgery centers are limited to a national collaboration. This project enhanced the transnational highly specialized know-how and expertise which is hard to be found in a single country.

Considering the state-of-the-art in the training in neurosurgery, BrainIT project aimed to provide the following innovations:

1: Design, implement and pilot a modular, INNOVATIVE INTENSIVE STUDY PROGRAMME, a hands-on workshop of a very high complexity for the students, combining microsurgery techniques with working on real-life 3D simulated neurosurgical pathologies.
2: Design, test and implement INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES – i.e. 3D printing molds for simulation of surgical interventions, hands-on sessions, team-based learning, problem-based learning, blended learning for theoretical study, on the spot guidelines, personalized learning and treatment options and management, case presentations, all developed in a working hospital. Participants in the ISPs gained real, useful practical competences fitted for the labour market, which will directly benefit them in their future career in neurosurgery.
3: Intersection between MEDICINE and BIO-ENGINEERING for the use of 3D printing technology for simulation of surgical interventions, creating 3D didactic materials that have integrated modules of the existing medical computed tomography (CT) on different types of neurosurgical pathologies; Participants simulated surgical interventions, seeing and understanding pathologies from a perspective that has not existed before.
4: Through BrainIT project CLOSE CONNECTION BETWEEN EUROPEAN NEUROSURGERY CENTERS AND HEIs was facilitated, as with the new technological breakthroughs, a single medical center can no longer be updated with all the therapeutic methods and this is why many therapeutic alternatives often remain hidden for many department.
The composition of the consortium was based on the correspondence between the tasks to be completed and the partners’ expertise. All the project partners have been selected according to their expertise in NEUROSURGERY and 3D RECONSTRUCTIONS (FEM analysis and modeling, stereolithographic and FDM) and to their capacity of providing professional training to the target group

Project Website

http://grants.ulbsibiu.ro/brainit/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 253660,26 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITATEA LUCIAN BLAGA DIN SIBIU & Country: RO

Project Partners

• Spitalul Clinic Judetean de Urgenta Sibiu
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI NICCOLO CUSANO TELEMATICA ROMA
• UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA