Shock Wave Lithotripsy (SWL)
SWL is the flagship Surgassists research module. Prospective outcomes studies at Southampton University Hospital led by Professor Bhaskar Somani demonstrate significantly improved patient understanding compared to standard information leaflets.
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Launch the AR Experience
Send this directly to your patient. They can scan the QR code or tap the link to explore life-size SWL anatomy on their own device — no app required.
Enter your email address to reveal the QR code and shareable link.
Your email is used to log access. We will never share it with third parties.
Open on their smartphone
Scan the QR code or tap the link — opens in the browser, no app install needed.
Allow camera access
The browser requests camera permission to overlay 3D anatomy into their environment.
Place the model
Point at a flat surface and tap — life-size anatomy appears in front of them.
Follow guided narration
Audio narration walks through each scene. Takes 2–5 minutes to complete.
Systemic Gaps in the Informed Consent Pathway
Procedural Understanding
Patients undergoing SWL frequently demonstrate incomplete understanding despite written information leaflets. Cognitive overload, complex terminology, and absence of spatial anatomical visualisation mean leaflets alone are insufficient for genuine comprehension.
Montgomery Compliance Risk
Under the Montgomery standard, clinicians must ensure patients understand all material risks. When information is delivered solely through leaflets or time pressured verbal explanations, comprehension is assumed rather than verified, creating medico legal exposure.
Procedural Anxiety
Anxiety about SWL is common, driven by uncertainty about how shock waves feel, fear of pain, and misunderstanding of success rates. Heightened anxiety reduces information retention and can influence pain perception.
Language Barriers
Even translated leaflets fail to guarantee conceptual understanding. Variations in health literacy and limited interpreter access in busy clinics mean reliance on written materials alone may fail to ensure true understanding.
Replacing static information with immersive understanding
Surgassists replaces static information with a fully immersive, clinician authored mixed reality experience delivered in 2 to 5 minutes, at the point of care or at home.
Augmented Reality Overlay
AR projects life size anatomical structures into the consultation room via tablet or AR glasses, allowing the clinician and patient to explore anatomy together. No headset required.
Virtual Reality Mode
Using a standalone VR headset, patients are transported into a calm, 3D clinical environment with life size anatomical structures and narrated guidance through every stage of the procedure.
What Patients Experience
A guided journey through four immersive scenes from entering the clinic to understanding risks and recovery.
Enter The Clinic
Patients see the real SWL environment before they arrive.
Life Size Anatomy
The kidney, stone location, and urinary tract shown in accurate anatomical scale.
Procedure Explained
Patients watch the shockwave mechanism target and fragment the stone in real time.
Risks and Complications
Patients are presented with potential complications and what to expect after the procedure.
Designed for the Real Clinical World
7 Languages
Spanish, Italian, Polish, Punjabi, English, Romanian, and Arabic.
2 to 5 Minute Sessions
Designed to fit within a standard outpatient appointment or viewed at home.
Evidence Based
Developed in collaboration with NHS Hospitals and peer reviewed research.
Life Size Anatomy
Anatomically accurate, immersive structures that improve spatial comprehension.
Montgomery Compliant
Supports the legal standard for informed consent set out in Montgomery v Lanarkshire.
Improved Outcomes
Better informed patients make better decisions and have improved procedural tolerance.
Research Publications
See the SWL Module in Action
Request a clinical demonstration and see how Surgassists transforms patient consent for Shock Wave Lithotripsy.
Request Clinical Demo