Virtual Reality and Medical Education Research

Background

There is a considerable need for more medical professionals who are equipped with advanced knowledge in the digital technologies.

Nowadays, these technologies are used in a wide range of diagnostics, management approaches and surgical techniques which represent innovative solutions to address the complexity of several diseases.

Virtual reality (VR) provides a highly immersive environment that enables medical students to explore anatomical structures and medical procedures in a realistic manner. They can visualize complex anatomical systems in 3D, which enhances their understanding compared to traditional 2D images or diagrams.

In addition, VR simulations allow students to practice medical procedures in a safe and controlled environment. Moreover, VR scenarios can be designed to simulate interactions with patients, helping students develop empathy and communication skills.

It is very crucial to provide evidence-based for the effectiveness of VR in medical education and therefore, current studies have focused on this field of research.

It is noteworthy that there is a significant increase in the publications about development and evaluation of VR applications for various medical procedures, educational activities and training course (Figure 1). It is evident that more researchers are interested in VR and medical education research, and this will be reflected in more increase in the publication numbers in the future (Figure 1).

Designs and protocols

Investigation of the fidelity and realism of VR simulations in replicating clinical scenarios and procedures is considered as one of the protocols that can be used to produce insightful outcomes (Figure 2).

This includes evaluation of the accuracy of anatomical representations, the realism of physiological responses, and the immersion level of VR environments in enhancing learning experiences.

Additional studies can be designed to explore the transferability of skills learned in VR environments to real-world clinical practice and examine the use of VR for team-based training and communication skills development among medical professionals.

More importantly, investigators can adopt protocols that assess the impact of VR-based training on patient safety and error reduction in clinical practice (Figure 2). These studies can investigate whether healthcare professionals trained in VR demonstrate improved patient outcomes, reduced error rates, and enhanced diagnostic accuracy compared to those trained through traditional methods.

Furthermore, research designs to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of integrating VR into medical education curricula, and to assess the long-term retention of knowledge and skills acquired through VR-based training, will lead to outcomes that can be shared by educators, medical professionals and decision-makers to leverage the use of VR in medical education (Figure 2).

Selected free full-text articles

• Haowen J, Vimalesvaran S, Myint Kyaw B, Tudor Car L. Virtual reality in medical students’ education: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open. 2021 May 26;11(5):e046986. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046986. PMID: 34039577; PMCID: PMC8160201. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34039577/
  
• Huang TK, Yang CH, Hsieh YH, Wang JC, Hung CC. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applied in dentistry. Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2018 Apr;34(4):243-248. doi: 10.1016/j.kjms.2018.01.009. PMID: 29655414. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29655414/
  
• Dean S, Halpern J, McAllister M, Lazenby M. Nursing education, virtual reality and empathy? Nurs Open. 2020 Jul 1;7(6):2056-2059. doi: 10.1002/nop2.551. PMID: 33072391; PMCID: PMC7544867. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33072391/
  
• O’Connor M, Stowe J, Potocnik J, Giannotti N, Murphy S, Rainford L. 3D virtual reality simulation in radiography education: The students’ experience. Radiography (Lond). 2021 Feb;27(1):208-214. doi: 10.1016/j.radi.2020.07.017. Epub 2020 Aug 13. PMID: 32800641; PMCID: PMC7424334. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32800641/
  
• Kim HY, Kim EY. Effects of Medical Education Program Using Virtual Reality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 22;20(5):3895. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20053895. PMID: 36900904; PMCID: PMC10001289. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36900904/