Effective training of healthcare professionals translates to satisfied patients. We invited creative agencySector 5 Digital(S5D) to tell us more about their work to build an innovative training application used by more than 50,000 healthcare workers to date with Galderma, the world’s largest independent dermatological pharmaceutical company.
In the world of aesthetic dermatology, companies want to achieve the most natural results possible for their patients. Efficiently training healthcare professionals (HCPs) to safely inject patients is critical to driving these outcomes.
Anatomy education is a key factor for safe injections, but access to anatomy education for injectors is limited. Historically, Galderma Aesthetics’ training consisted of 2D pictures and limited opportunities each year to train at expensive cadaver labs. There was no middle ground between these options when it came to training HCPs. To address this, Galderma asked Sector 5 Digital to create an educational application that would provide trainers with compelling visuals to aid in their seminars and peer-to-peer training sessions, as well as to bridge the gap between anatomy education and safe injection practice.
Check out the app’s features in the video below. Read on to learn how Sector 5 Digital used Unity to build an accessible and scalable solution.
Our solution was to develop an iPad app that allows injector trainers to teach other HCPs on the go about the intricacies of facial anatomy to ensure they inject Galderma products in the right place for optimal patient results and safer outcomes.
When we began conceptualizing the application, Unity offered an extremely versatile platform to quickly prototype new ways to display 3D anatomy, including custom functionality and 3D assets.
Since its launch, the Galderma Interactive Anatomy (GIA) app has helped scale training from a few dozen people at a cadaver lab to be able to virtually educate thousands of HCPs.
The application provides a much better educational experience than 2D pictures because it includes 3D perspectives of what lies underneath the exterior of the skin. The visuals are highly detailed and realistic. Users can peel back the layers of the skin to see the underlying veins, muscles, ligaments, and fat structures, all based on accurate anatomical references.
A built-in aging slider visually demonstrates the effects of aging on both the interior and exterior of the skin. Users can see what different facial expressions look like on a subject from age 35 to 65.
The user interface includes sophisticated touch and gesture controls for intuitive navigation, making the app easy for new users to operate. Onscreen notes and voice-overs toggle on and off to help train users on the key teaching points of each region.
The application currently runs on the Apple iPad Pro in real-time using the Unity engine. Highly scalable, it is used for one-on-one meetings as well as for training thousands of HCPs at Galderma educational conferences.
Although GIA has undergone many versions and iterations, the app is still a direct evolution of the original concept project. Unity has been an easy-to-use development tool, even when updating Unity versions or changing render pipelines, and the process of adding new content and functionality has been relatively seamless.
The HCP trainers were ecstatic to get their hands on an application that helps them more clearly explain the anatomical landmarks. After all, a firm grasp of anatomy enhances the injectors’ ability to positively impact safe injection practice and create more natural-looking outcomes, resulting in increased patient satisfaction. Many training attendees have enthusiastically commented on how eye-opening the visuals are, helping them fully understand their disciplines and providing a high degree of clarity.
The GIA app has allowed Galderma Aesthetics to greatly increase the scale of quality anatomy education. To date, over 50,000 HCPs have been trained via this application, results that would have been nearly impossible and cost-prohibitive to attain using historical training methods.
We are constantly updating and adding new features to the app and are excited to continue working with Unity in paving the way for the future of healthcare education.
For more general information about the many use cases for Unity and real-time 3D, see check out our solutions.
Sector 5 Digital (S5D) is an award-winning creative agency that combines brilliant storytelling with emerging technology for industry-leading organizations. We help companies transform their brands by creating innovative digital content for marketing, communications, sales, entertainment, training, and simulation. S5D operates under the “build once, deploy often” philosophy, leveraging 25+ years of industry experience to exceed customers’ objectives and maximize their ROI.
