New Virtual Patient Education Programs with Angela Gucwa

Angela Gucwa is a surgical fellow with the Greenville Health System and a major supporter of virtual patient education programs for doctors in training. In fact, during her time as a surgical resident at the Medical College of Georgia, Angela Gucwa participated in a joint effort with engineers and computer scientists to develop a better virtual patient program. Angela Gucwa has also published several journal articles about these virtual patient training programs, particularly as they relate to taking breast concern histories and providing breast exams.

 

One specific program that Angela Gucwa worked on as a surgical resident at the Medical College of Georgia was a pilot program intended to integrate a virtual patient with breast complaints and in need of a breast exam into already existing virtual training programs. Angela Gucwa also presented the paper derived from this project with her coauthors at the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Surgeons.

Of particular interest to Angela Gucwa as a young woman surgeon was a study she participated in that compared male and female doctor’s responses to this type of virtual breast complaint situation. Angela Gucwa presented the results of this immersive study to the Association of Women Surgeons, a professional group that specifically centers women’s concerns in the profession.

One particularly innovative virtual system is something known as the “touch map.” Touch map technologies provide auto-feedback to the young doctors working with them. Angela Gucwa participated in a study that examined the use of these touch maps in training doctors to perform breast exams.