What is virtual reality?

Virtual reality (VR) is described as the use of technology to allow users to interact with a virtual three-dimensional (3-D) environment that mimics a real-life environment through computer simulation devices. (Lowood, 2022). Although simulation, mostly using mannequins, is a long-standing form of education in the medical field (Bradley, 2006), VR is a considerably new advancement in the context of medical education (Kassutto, et al., 2021).

Impact of virtual reality on learning in medical education

The use of virtual reality in medical education allows practitioners to practice the hands-on, complex skills required in a low-stakes environment where patient safety is not compromised. Two of the most significant applications of VR currently seen in medical education are: the virtual human, which digitally recreates a human body for experiments, practice, and research studies; and virtual surgery simulation, which allows learners to virtually perform operations with realistic simulated physiological and physical reactions from the digital patient (Lai & Zou, 2018).

Research has shown that medical students who receive training through a VR curriculum have improved outcomes in terms of their acquisition of specialized knowledge and execution of complex skills compared to medical students that received training through more traditional methods (Zhao et al., 2021).

Reliance on technology

Virtual reality is not possible without, and is in fact grounded in, the use of technology. There are hardware requirements such as headsets and headphones required to provide visual and auditory stimuli, as well as gloves and joysticks to allow users to interact within a virtual environment (Pantelidis et al., 2017). The simulated virtual world also requires extensive and advanced technological design and development to provide a realistic environment for users.

Usability of virtual reality

The delivery of medical education through VR heavily relies on both the educators and learners being comfortable with the technology and equipment. Training is required in order for users to gain proficiency with and see benefit from VR education. The usability and effectiveness of a VR system should be evaluated with reliable methods prior to implementation. Likewise, system training should be provided prior to application.

Risks of virtual reality in medical education

There are a few risks to consider and take steps to mitigate when implementing a VR medical education training program. Many of these are highlighted effectively by Baniasadi et al. (2020) and can be broken down into the following:

  • The loss of physical presence – This can reduce the quality of interaction between educators and learners.
  • Training Required – There is a learning curve with the technology in order for educators to be able to teach and for students to learn using VR effectively.
  • Cost – There is a substantial cost in order to design and build a realistic and valuable learning environment using the software. There is also a significant cost in purchasing the hardware required to deliver training.
  • Users’ Attitudes – Some learners will not be open to VR as a reliable tool for education.
  • Safety & side effects – There are implications for safety when using technology as digital environments are subject to the infiltration of hackers or people with nefarious intentions. There have also been some physical side effects that have been noted with the use of VR, including nausea, headaches, and eye strain.

Value proposition of VR in medical education

The most important benefit to the use of VR is medical education is that it guarantees no risk to patients when gaining experience in a clinical setting. However, other benefits are that although the initial costs can be expensive, they can be used on an ongoing basis at relatively low cost and they require much less manpower over more traditional forms of medical education, such as instructors and simulation operators (Pantelidis et al., 2017). Another significant benefit to the introduction of VR in medical education is that many of the models have built-in tools to objectively assess learners’ performance, such as operation time and errors (Pantelidis et al., 2017). These built-in tools to evaluate performance allow timely, formative feedback to help learners develop.

References

Baniasadi, T., Ayyoubzadeh, S.M., Mohammadzadeh, N. (2020, May 18). Challenges and practical considerations in applying virtual reality in medical education and treatment. Oman Medical Journal, 35(3), e125. DOI: 10.5001/omj.2020.43

Bradley, P. (2006, March). The history of simulation in medical education and possible future directions. Medical Education, 40(3), 254–262. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02394.x

Kassutto, S.M., Baston, C., Clancy, C. (2021, October 18). Virtual, augmented, and alternate reality in medical education: Socially distanced but fully immersed. ATS Scholar, 2(4), 651-664. DOI: 10.34197/ats-scholar.2021-0002RE

Lai, P., Zou, W. (2018, April). The application of virtual reality technology in medical education and training. Global Journal of Information Technology: Emerging Technologies. 8(1), 10–15. https://doi.org/10.18844/gjit.v8i1.3335

Lowood, H. E. (2022, December 23). Virtual reality. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/virtual-reality

Pantelidis, P., Chorti, A., Papagiouvanni, I., Paparoidamis, G., Drosos, C., Thrasyvoulos Panagiotakopoulos, T., Lales, G., & Sideris, M. (2017, December 20). Virtual and augmented reality in medical education. Medical and Surgical Education – Past, Present and Future (chapter 5). IntechOpen. https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/58199

Zhao, G., Fan, M., Yuan, Y., Zhao, F., Huang, H. (2021, February). The comparison of teaching efficiency between virtual reality and traditional education in medical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Translational Medicine, 9(3), 252-260. DOI:10.21037/atm-20-2785