3 - Exploring the Value of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology in Medical Education for Anatomical Spatial Orientation

Poster Board Number: 3
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Abstract Body : The Oculus Quest is the leading virtual reality (VR) headset system for gamers according to literature surveys and market analysis reports. VR in general has also been utilized in surgical simulations and increasingly in medical education over the past decade. The authors (AS, BC, and EW) utilized the Oculus Quest device to teach anatomy in a summer medical enrichment program designed for gifted high school students (n=84) in Boston, MA. Post-session student feedback revealed an overwhelmingly positive attitude toward the interactive nature of this learning tool - one that infused scientific inquiry and created self-directed learning behaviors. The authors sought to test the usefulness of this interactive technology onto medical students (n=194) learning cardiopulmonary anatomy at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY. While enrolled in a donor anatomy lab unit of a traditional medical school curriculum, we exposed 50% of the class to three-dimensional VR visualization of targeted structures: the sinoatrial (SA) nodal branch of the right coronary artery (RCA) and the positions of the pulmonary arteries relative to the right and left primary main bronchi. Quantitative end-of-week formative results revealed that the VR modality group performed significantly better (p< 0.05) compared to the control group, with a correct identification rate of 93% for the SA nodal branch of RCA and 88% for the pulmonary arteries. Long-term retention was assessed during the end-of-unit cardiopulmonary exam where the targeted structures were reassessed to 96% and 86% of the class who correctly identified these same structures, respectively. While informative, our assessment of class performance may not reflect fully the expeditious development of mental maps and swifter acquisition of spatial familiarity with complex anatomical structures compared to the control group. The widespread use of VR technology among many surgical specialties (e.g., neurosurgery, orthopaedic and robotic-assisted surgery) in training residents warrants investigation into whether introducing VR technology at the medical school level makes pedagogical sense. Our results show that its main benefit is improved understanding of relationships among contiguous structures in 3-D space while also preparing students for use of a modality that will likely become more widespread in medical practice.