An article written by Laura Limonta – Medical Doctor with Training in Virtual Reality Solutions for Healthcare at Uptale
Virtual Reality has become an increasingly popular and widely used tool in the medical field. By offering interactive virtual environments, this approach offers a unique and attractive solution for training students, educating patients and enhancing the skills of healthcare professionals.
Which immersive technology to choose?
The two main options for immersive learning are 3D modeling and 360-degree media. With 3D modeling, you can immerse yourself in detail, practice very precise gestures, simulate surgical operations, notice things that are usually invisible, and observe body parts that are difficult to access.
Uptale uses 360° and Virtual Reality, an easily customizable, deployable and intuitive solution for effective teaching. In the medical sector, practice is essential but difficult to implement without risk to patients and without monopolizing qualified personnel or equipment.
A concrete example of the implementation of Virtual Reality for medical training is the morphine titration simulation at the UFR Simone Veil at UVSQ, where students can put themselves in the shoes of a healthcare professional responsible for several patients in pain.
This medical training enables students to develop their skills and confidence in real-life situations. At UFR Simone Veil, 90% of students had never had a simulation on this subject before, and most had never seen or performed the procedure. 80% knew how to explain, and while 25% knew how to proceed, 96%, almost all of them, didn’t feel ready.
Without virtual reality, the students:
Positive feedback from students underlines the effectiveness of the immersive experience and its ease of use:
- « Intuition, small mistakes, almost concrete situations make us remember things. It’s better to make mistakes in virtual reality than in real life. »
- « Very good immersion, very good acting, very easy to get the hang of it, instructive and well-chosen scenarios. »
- « It’s much more stimulating than a theoretical course, and it’s not something you do a lot of in internships. »
- « Very formative and real. »
- « Memorization is faster by putting us face to face with the experience. »
- « Never really tackled the subject of morphine titration in training, here in 15 min we have a clear and fun training, thank you! »
Testimonial
Virtual Reality beyond learning
Virtual reality offers a unique immersive experience that goes beyond learning. It has a wide range of applications, such as the doctor-patient relationship in pediatrics, telemedicine, geriatric care, engagement and even as a complement to psychological and psychiatric treatments (phobias, anxiety, paranoia…). Today, there are numerous studies showing the effectiveness of virtual reality for these applications, which are still relatively unexplored in France.
For example, according to the study “Virtual Reality-Based Intervention for Theory of Mind in Schizophrenia: Preliminary Efficacy Results” published in November 2022, VR treatment of schizophrenic deficit Theory of Mind (ToM) showed considerable and lasting improvements after three months, compared with the control group.
This exciting technology opens up new perspectives in the medical sector for education, training and healthcare. We look forward to seeing how VR will help optimize training, care and much more.
Improve your medical skills with VR training
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