Immersive Experiences Usher in the Future of Medical Training and Education

Medical education and training are no longer confined by the walls of a classroom or clinical setting. Modern healthcare organizations are embracing the future of education to expand access to learning opportunities, decrease costs, and improve patient outcomes. Mixed reality and other emerging technologies help usher in this new era of boundless opportunities for aspiring and professional clinicians alike. With augmented reality and virtual reality solutions, medical schools and healthcare organizations can deliver immersive, interactive experiences anywhere — anytime learners want them.

Market intelligence company Grand View Research estimates that the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) healthcare market, valued globally at $2.5 billion in 2022, will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 18.8% between 2023 and 2030.¹ This robust growth is boosted by AR/VR adoption for applications such as diagnostics, education, and surgeries — a testament to the skyrocketing demand behind these innovative technological advancements.

An end-to-end, reliable processing platform is instrumental to a successful journey toward this digital innovation. With Lenovo ThinkReality extended reality solutions tethered to Intel vPro^® powered devices like the Lenovo ThinkStation P16 mobile workstation healthcare professionals and students can embrace the future of medical training today.

The Benefits of AR and VR in Medical Training

Medical education programs need new tools that solve challenges such as time constraints and limited access to clinical settings. The U.S. National Library of Medicine shows that more than 2,200 studies globally have already demonstrated the value of AR and VR in solving these kinds of challenges.² Clinical studies have shown that these technologies also bring a range of other benefits, such as:

• Improved information retention, proficiency, and overall curriculum enjoyment and satisfaction³
• Deeper understanding and higher competency in a variety of areas, such as neurosurgery⁴
• Effective teaching a variety of procedural skills, such as endoscopy and operating room preparation⁵

Here are some ways that learners, providers, and medical institutions can benefit from AR and VR.

Expanded Access to Learning and Training Opportunities

Medical students and clinicians can learn new skills and procedures remotely, without impacting patient safety, in a riskfree environment accessible anywhere. 

Improved Patient Outcomes

Students can prepare for complex procedures collaboratively and explore multiple scenarios, whether they’re analysing radiology images or training for the operating room. Experienced clinicians can practice and prepare before procedures based on a patient’s case and unique needs.

Decreased Costs

VR anatomy labs can cut costs compared to cadaver-based instruction or mannequin-based simulation, while requiring less infrastructure and space and eliminating geographic constraints. Plus, multiple students can practice at the same time — from anywhere.

Revolutionizing Student and Professional Learning Experiences

Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term for a continuum of immersive experiences that include augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).⁶ XR delivers interactive experiences that can range from simple, 360-degree videos to virtual environments that adapt to any clinical setting. “In AR, the user can still view the real world, but reality is now augmented with overlayed virtual elements (objects, content, and information),” according to an article published in the science journal Frontiers by a group of clinical researchers.⁷ “VR creates 3-dimensional (3D) virtual elements in entirely virtual environments (VEs) and the user (typically) cannot view or directly interact with the real world."

Essentially, augmented reality technology allows the real world to blend with computer-generated elements, while immersive virtual experiences can be overlayed on the surrounding environment. In contrast, virtual reality blocks the view of the real world entirely, creating a completely immersive world. VR environments can simulate real-world scenarios for individual or team practice while providing real-time feedback to help students identify areas for further training.

With these digital environments, students and clinicians can:

• Visualize organs in various stages of disease or trauma — including in situations to which they typically have limited exposure, such as genetic disorders or rare cases requiring high-risk procedures
• Attend live operations remotely with a full 360-degree view
• Improve mastery of complex medical concepts through standardized and repeatable training on demand
• Use interactive 3D models to familiarize themselves with various tools and equipment from anywhere
• Participate in a risk-free virtual lab anytime, anywhere while learning anatomy through enhanced, high-fidelity images
• Reduce procedural errors by practicing simulation-based applications, or using 3D models created from patient
• MRI scans
• Test their skills independently and repeatedly with continuous access and without any scheduling restrictions

Immersive environments and scenarios can also help students improve soft skills that are essential to care delivery — such as communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution.

Complementing Anatomy Labs with Virtual Training

Gross anatomy is a key component of medical education. Textbook lessons and cadaver dissection have long been considered the gold standard for this training, but anatomy lab contact hours have been steadily shrinking. New modalities driven by extended reality technologies allow medical schools to supplement physical cadavers with virtual anatomy labs to complement existing training.

In recent years, the scientific community has faced a shortage of human cadavers.⁸ Not only are human cadavers limited in use, they can cost as much $3,000-$10,000 each.9 Virtual cadavers provide cost-effective alternatives that are readily available and have unlimited reuse. Additionally, virtual anatomy labs don’t require specialized ventilation equipment and monitoring, and they eliminate the risk of chemical exposure and accidental injuries from sharp instruments.

Immersive, dynamic virtual worlds can adapt to a variety of learning needs and enable group-based studies that are not possible with single cadavers or simulated models. With virtual labs, students gain the ability to:

• Observe and learn the complex 3D spatial relationships between organs and structures from anywhere
• View anatomy from any angle, visualize deeper internal structures, and zoom in for more detailed renderings
• Receive standardized and consistent instruction while also easily undoing dissection errors

VR labs offer advantages over mannequin-based simulations as well because they don’t need dedicated spaces or extensive human resource to manage, allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning, and can replicate various environments without any geographic constraints.

Boosting Surgical and Procedural Skill Training and Planning

Conventional surgical training relies on observation and practice on live patients, but these opportunities are often limited. As a low-cost and accessible alternative, VR training provides realistic environments for practicing complex surgeries and medical procedures. Students can learn in a low-risk environment without affecting patient safety and comfort while receiving immediate, objective feedback that assesses their progress.

Anatomically accurate 3D virtual models and 3D visualisations allow surgeons to prepare and practice for complex operations using population data or patient-specific data — such as MRIs and CT angiograms. With the ability to explore various scenarios using patient scans before the actual procedure, they can predict risks and select the most appropriate treatment plan.

A University of California, Los Angeles study demonstrated that orthopaedic surgery students who used VR training finished procedures 20% faster and completed 38 more steps correctly compared to those using standard training tools.¹⁰ Other research has shown that immersive VR training helped students perform medical procedures 18%-43% faster and with greater accuracy¹¹, as well as increasing their confidence in performing procedures such as tracheostomies.¹²

An End-to-End Healthcare Solution

Medical institutions are innovating education and training with high-quality curriculum that clinicians and future care providers can engage with without the bounds of place and time. Together with Intel vPro®-powered technology such as Lenovo ThinkPad devices, Lenovo ThinkReality extended reality solutions deliver a positive return on investment for healthcare organizations that are ready to revolutionize learning. Lenovo’s ThinkReality VRX all-in-one headset and ThinkReality A3 smart glasses offer reliable, practical, and versatile solutions that help seasoned and aspiring clinicians make the leap to immersive experiences.

The ThinkReality VRX all-in-one headset provides a comfortable and well-balanced design for extended-use sessions anywhere medical training, procedure planning, and team collaboration take place. Purpose-built for enterprise-level functionality, this versatile headset can be tethered to the ThinkPad P16 mobile workstation and gives clinicians the freedom to move and manipulate virtual objects in a variety of scenarios.

Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses extend the workspace while providing complete privacy to the wearer — and are comfortable and small enough to fit in the palm of their hand. The smart glasses can connect to PCs such as Lenovo’s ThinkPad^® X1 Carbon, ThinkPad^® P16 Mobile Workstation, or ThinkPad^® X1 Nano — powered by the built-for-enterprise Intel vPro^® platform — to create a complete, world-class solution. In addition to delivering unparalleled performance, the Intel platform offers end-to-end capabilities including platform security, enhanced productivity, and modern manageability.

Embrace the Future of Healthcare Education

Healthcare education is changing fundamentally. With AR and VR technologies, forward-thinking organizations have the opportunity to prepare for tomorrow while enhancing medical training and improving patient outcomes today. Scalable, flexible, end-to-end technology from Lenov ThinkReality empowers medical institutions to transform clinical education and training while embracing the extended reality revolution with confidence.

Ready to welcome the new era of healthcare education? Learn more at www.lenovo.com/health