Dr. Timothy Miller, an orthopedic surgeon at the Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center, has used the increasingly popular live video-streaming app Periscope to stream operation for medical education purposes.

Miller has recently “scoped” a surgical procedure, repair of a torn Achilles’ tendon, for medical education “to go beyond the classroom” particularly in this age of restricted hours for students and residents. Moreover, he believes that even established physicians could learn more from watching video on their off days.

“If you don’t take call every day, but only every other day, you’re missing half of the good cases,” Miller told MedCity News.

Of course, the patient gave full consent for the broadcast, and since the camera never showed his face and Miller never used the man’s full name, there were no HIPAA issues. Meanwhile, the patient’s mother and sister watched live from the waiting room.

During the procedure, Miller even found time to answer 5-6 questions thanks to medical assistant who held a smartphone on a monopod and read the questions to him.

Some 170 viewers went in and out of the broadcast during the 40-minute live stream.Some 170 viewers went in and out of the broadcast during the 40-minute live stream, and additional 800+ people watched replays during the short time it was available. Periscope archives videos for just 24 hours after live broadcasts, and only those using the mobile app can watch a replay, not those on computers.

The idea to Periscope the procedure came from the media relations staff at OSU, which has previously recorded procedures with Google Glass and live-tweeted surgeries.

“I thought the experiment went very well,” Miller said. He plans on doing it again. And while you wait for the next health-based Periscope video, you can check the saved portion of the stream from here.