Efficacy and Benefits of Augmented and Virtual Reality Based Learning during COVID‐19

Abstract

PurposeThe COVID‐19 pandemic has created extensive disruptions for medical education, causing urgency to implement and develop solutions to combat this disturbance. For students to pursue learning opportunities, the education system must improve. Augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) provide a promising future for the enhancement of medical education. This review article aims to evaluate the benefits and efficacy of AR and VR, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsMultiple peer‐reviewed, randomized trials were synthesized into a review study investigating the efficacy, benefit, and use of VR and AR for medical education. The reviewed studies included medical and graduate‐level students as participants and aimed to support the use of AR and VR as an educational adjunct. The results of these trials support the use of additional technology in medical education.ResultsThe COVID‐19 pandemic propelled medical schools, educators, and students into a world of total computerized learning. This pandemic acted as a necessary push to implement novel, untested technologies into the educational sector. Previous research demonstrates that AR and VR can confront these unfamiliar challenges and allow for a safe and beneficial COVID‐19 education, consisting of socially‐distanced and low‐risk patient‐care practice.ConclusionsThe benefits of continuous, safe learning outweigh the potential technological challenges of implementing AR and VR into medical education. During the pandemic, the medical community is faced with teaching students many skills necessary to become adept medical practitioners. Although the COVID‐19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity for the implementation of new technologies, virtual instruction does not have to end beyond this crisis. Virtual technology can teach medical students interpersonal skills such as empathy, engaging in difficult conversations, and delivering bad news. Because students have traditionally been exposed to passive teaching styles, it is time to look toward expanding medical students’ repertoire and allow them to personalize their education.