Medical Training Through the Lens of Virtual Reality
Virtual reality has emerged as a powerful tool in all aspects of life, including the healthcare field. In recent years, the rise of advanced technology has led many healthcare professionals to explore the uses of virtual reality in the medical field, ranging from the creation of bionic devices to elevating the training of medical students.
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University College London is one of the many institutions at the forefront of integrating this technology into their medical education, in order to improve their students’ training. A lecture delivered by Professor Rui Loureiro highlighted the ways virtual reality can be utilised for medical training through adapting simulators to mimic medical scenarios. Through using this technology, trainees are able to gain diverse, hands-on experience with clinical procedures, compared to the confinements of a limited scope on traditional mannequins. ​
Additionally, patient specific models can be updated to customisable simulators which resemble specific anatomical structures and tissues, enabling trainees to tailor their approach to different patients. The model also replicates deformed structures to ensure trainees are well-equipped to handle complications whilst developing effective contingency plans for real-life situations.
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The simulators are able to provide accurate haptic feedback, which emulates the feel of tissues, offering a more immersive, kinaesthetic experience, which is crucial in specialities like obstetrics, where the skills of precision and sensitivity are vital. The traditional training for these procedures may include a trainee delivering a doll from a mannequin. However, by utilising a simulator of a baby head with force feedback sensors, one is able to monitor the interactions and forces in all the movements involved to ensure the student is competent in acquiring all the necessary skills to execute procedures with the utmost safety and skill.
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Furthermore, surgical training is not the only field where virtual reality is being utilised in training the next generation of healthcare professionals. VR is also used to support practitioners develop empathy by immersing them in a situation emulating a patient’s discomfort, such as the feeling of vertigo or vision loss. This allows doctors to step into the patient’s shoes to encourage their empathy, improving the doctor-patient relationship. An example of this technology has been incorporated into the University of New England's medical labs, where virtual reality has been utilised to immerse students into the elderly patient experience, by teaching them about geriatric symptoms like hearing loss and macular degeneration. This teaching method was considered effective by the students, fostered a deeper understanding of geriatric care, and developed their empathy further.​
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These examples highlight how virtual reality can transform medicine. As the potential for technological advancements in medicine continues to expand, one can predict innovation at the forefront of the medical field.
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