(Image from Allego)
Several of the world’s ventilator manufacturers have formed the Ventilator Training Alliance (VTA) to help healthcare workers treat COVID-19 patients.
The alliance includes Dräger, GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE), Getinge (STO:GETI-B), Hamilton Medical, Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), Philips (NYSE:PHG), Vyaire Medical and Nihon Kohden.
The VTA app, provided free of charge in a mobile app developed by Allego, connects respiratory therapists, nurses and other medical professionals with ventilator training resources from alliance member companies. Information includes instructional videos, manuals, troubleshooting guides and other ventilator-operation expertise.
Content on the VTA app can be accessed on iOS and Android devices, even in environments with little to no Wi-Fi access, or from a web browser, according to Needham, Mass.-based Allego. The app provides healthcare professionals’ multi-language closed captioning and mobile background audio when multitasking.
“We can help overcome this pandemic by collaborating across companies, agencies and industries to deliver smart solutions that add value and reduce stress for frontline healthcare heroes when every minute matters,” said VTA chairman Patrick Berges, VP of commercial capabilities for Medtronic’s minimally invasive therapies group, in a news release. “This training alliance is a great example of that collaborative spirit. Being able to share content from a variety of ventilator manufacturers all in one place ensures that hospitals can quickly access information they may need to accelerate putting life-saving ventilators to use.”
“Supporting our customers and facilitating ventilator training continues to be key to all stakeholders in this project”, added Charles Merchant, senior director of global therapy development for acute care therapies at Getinge, in a separate news release.
“The Allego platform was built to give professionals access to learning, content and collaboration in this time of need, and there’s never been a greater need for emergency training of medical staff than now,” said Allego CEO Yuchun Lee. “We’re honored to partner with these ventilator manufacturers to provide this all-in-one knowledge resource to healthcare staff. Every one of the professionals working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a hero in our eyes.”
Ventilator manufacturers who would like to join the alliance can email VTA-Join@allego.com.
