Virtual reality, augmented reality and surgical training
Ultimately, both AR and VR methods and traditional training have their benefits and drawbacks and neither of them can be replaced. Traditional training mimics the realistic environment during surgery and provides hands-on experience, whereas the advanced technologies should be used to enhance the knowledge of the surgical procedures and to build up the surgical training experience, through the use of visualization and diverse range of interactions. Surgeon trainees should familiarize themselves with the AR and VR technology early on, as they act as an assessment for the proficiency of surgical procedures and also the skill levels users have: weaknesses can be identified and worked on.
Implications and future research
Although AR and VR have been developed a lot in the gaming industries, they can also be used a lot in education and healthcare. As seen from my experiment, participants were able to absorb the information they learnt in a short period of time. This method of learning has appeared to be a viable method of understanding knowledge and could
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be applied to lessons at school. For example, when we learn about certain organs of the body, using an AR simulation would allow students to observe the structures from various perspective and angles, which can improve their visualization skills and thus their memory skills. Not only does this enhance knowledge absorption; it also creates a more diverse range of activities to do in the lesson and provides more opportunities for engagements and interactions, especially during the lockdown. Another application of AR and VR technology is in the healthcare industry. Seeing the success of different developed technologies being used in surgeon training, it can also be used to assist and meet the patients' needs. Firstly, doctors explain a certain problem with part of the body, then AR and VR could be applied and by looking at a three-dimensional simulated model, it gives both the patient and their family an understanding of what is happening, compared to looking at two-dimensional images. It would also give patients more reassurance being able to see what is happening beforehand. Another use can be for patients diagnosed with depression or similar mental health problems that require constant emotional care and support. Through these technologies, virtual avatars can be made to comfort patients (Moyers, 2019). Also, it can be used for pain management, where VR goggles are provided to patients, and they are used for relaxing and meditative activities for short intervals every day. This provides a new drug-free method to relieve the pain of patients (Freitas, Spadon, 2019). This also opens up many potentials for different occupations. For example, architects can use VR and AR to visualize the building design and how it merges with the environment or for pilots in training, where they can train how to manoeuvre the plane without using a large machine to practise.
Final thoughts
The information and data I have collected indicate that a combination of AR and VR technology along with traditional training methods is required for surgical training. They each provide and target a particular aspect of the training to improve the performance of surgeons. However, to reach a conclusion, more extensive research is required, as AR and VR technology is constantly being developed and improved. Perhaps after a decade, the AR and VR technology would be able to provide the same experience as the traditional training method does and would replace it.
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