{"id":637,"date":"2019-05-12T11:10:42","date_gmt":"2019-05-12T18:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/?p=637"},"modified":"2019-06-02T20:47:22","modified_gmt":"2019-06-03T03:47:22","slug":"how-can-vr-affordances-be-leveraged-to-improve-healthcare-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/how-can-vr-affordances-be-leveraged-to-improve-healthcare-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"How can VR Affordances be leveraged to improve healthcare practice?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_642\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642\" class=\"wp-image-642 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2019\/05\/stephan-sorkin-1492677-unsplash-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 640px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 640\/428;\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-642\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Immersive VR exists and is being used in healthcare. How can we leverage VR capabilities to maximize learning and education in healthcare?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Virtual Reality technology use in the context of healthcare is new, exciting, and, as is often the case with hyped-up tech, being used without a complete understanding of the benefits and risks. The use of immersive virtual reality (IVR) has shown great promise in distraction from pain, training for cognitive and hands-on surgical work, as well as anxiety reduction and improving provider empathy skills. It may be relatively easy to identify the key affordances of IVR that help make it successful in each of these contexts; however, we have a responsibility to consider the technology through a critical lens, examining our strategic priorities in healthcare before using public resources to design the future use of this technology in the complex healthcare system.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of affordances, IVR leverages intense immersion in its effect. With a full headset, you are submerged into the simulated environment, able to get a 360-degree view around yourself. IVR simulations are filmed from the perspective of whoever is wearing the helmet, and the learner is able to be placed in the shoes of anyone with this design. This intense experience may result in increased emotional reactions and increased presence while using IVR; however, Shin informed that this uptake is dependant upon the user (2018). An immersive design function allows us to place ourselves in the perspective of our patients, walking through their experience of our care. Embodied Labs&#8217; Carrie Shaw (2019) built a scenario around this concept to increase the understanding and empathy for the experience of a patient with macular degeneration and hearing loss after her own experiences caring for her mother. Relias (2017) has built a simulation that allows you to see through the eyes of a patient with dementia. These simulations can increase learner focus as they elicit an emotional response, and attempt to provide an understanding of the effects of these impairments. Buchman and Henderson (2019) argued that the IVR used in this manner allowed learners to feel deeply involved in the experience and more able to understand the patient perspective.<\/p>\n<p>Our critical inquiry into the use of IVR in this type of training should include the following questions;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When we elicit an intense and emotional reaction in our learners, do we follow this up by supporting a comprehensive debrief and reflection on practice as informed by evidence?<\/li>\n<li>Are we causing an increase in emotional load on our learners that may impact their professional and personal lives?<\/li>\n<li>How do we adapt the learning design to benefit learners individually if their personalities may limit their engagement with, and experience in, IVR? (Shin, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>What are the physical side effects of using IVR, and how are these mitigated in the training plan if learners are unable to use the technology as a result of health impact?<\/li>\n<li>How does access to IVR technology play a role in which healthcare professions are able to benefit from this technology in their training?<\/li>\n<li>Are interdisciplinary teams using the IVR together in their training or in isolation?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The design functions of IVR allow the building of avatars to represent humans that we would regularly interact with through our care practice. Let&#8217;s consider patients. In the diverse province of B.C., our healthcare providers may well benefit from the ability of IVR design to allow multiple avatar presentations of age, gender, and ethnicity. Fertleman, Aubugeau-Williams, Sher, Lim, Lumley, Delacroix and Pan (2018) argued that these avatars could be leveraged to reveal a healthcare provider&#8217;s own values and prejudices, demonstrating how these biases may affect clinical practice. This feature may be able to provide a better understanding of marginalized groups to providers in order to foster connection and empathy.<\/p>\n<p>Further questions evolve:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How are patient populations represented in IVR simulations?<\/li>\n<li>Do patients themselves have the opportunity to inform the development and design of the simulations and avatars?<\/li>\n<li>What curricular support is made available to facilitate diversity education and training via IVR in healthcare?<\/li>\n<li>How can pre-determined and programmed responses accurately reflect diverse healthcare interactions?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The creative, adaptive, immersive, and emotive characteristics of IVR training will lend useful in future iterations of healthcare training programs. At this time, we have considerably more questions than answers regarding the optimal design, use, and support for IVR learning programs in healthcare.\u00a0 As we strive to improve the patient experience, reduce costs of training, improve population health and increase the quality and efficiency of healthcare, a focused and informed approach should drive our future use of IVR technology.<\/p>\n<p>CB<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>References:<\/p>\n<p>Buchman, S. &amp; Henderson, D. (2019) Interprofessional empathy and communication competency development in healthcare professions&#8217; curriculum through immersive virtual reality experiences. <em>Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice.<\/em> <em>15.<\/em> 127-130<\/p>\n<p>Embodied Labs, (2019) [website] Retrieved from https:\/\/embodiedlabs.com\/<\/p>\n<p>Fertleman, C.,\u00a0 Aubugeau-Williams, P., Sher, C., , Lim. A., Lumley, S., Delacroix, S., &amp; Pan, X., (2018). A Discussion of Virtual Reality As a New Tool for Training Healthcare Professionals. <em>Frontiers in Public Health<\/em>, <em>6,<\/em> 44. Retrieved from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/article\/10.3389\/fpubh.2018.00044\">https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/article\/10.3389\/fpubh.2018.00044<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Relias Learning (2017). A Day in the Life of Henry: A dementia experience. [website]\u00a0Retrieved from<a href=\"https:\/\/preview.relias.com\/Library\/Demo\/2017\/VR\/story_html5.html?lms=1&amp;_ga=2.42031651.765090657.1555168715-694509919.1555168715\">https:\/\/preview.relias.com\/Library\/Demo\/2017\/VR\/story_html5.html?lms=1&amp;_ga=2.42031651.765090657.1555168715-694509919.1555168715<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Shin, D. (2018). Empathy and embodied experience in virtual environment: To what extent can virtual reality stimulate empathy and embodied experience? S<em>chool of Media and Communication<\/em>,<em> 78<\/em>, 64\u201373. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.chb.2017.09.012\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.chb.2017.09.012<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virtual Reality technology use in the context of healthcare is new, exciting, and, as is often the case with hyped-up tech, being used without a complete understanding of the benefits and risks. The use of immersive virtual reality (IVR) has shown great promise in distraction from pain, training for cognitive and hands-on surgical work, as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1],"tags":[108,110,53,109,54,57,104],"class_list":["post-637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lrnt526","category-uncategorized","tag-edtech","tag-immersive-virtual-reality","tag-learning-design","tag-patient-experience","tag-simulation-training","tag-virtual-reality","tag-vr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=637"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":673,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions\/673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0066\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}