Augmented Reality (AR) is still in the beginning stages of development and its impact on healthcare education is starting to reveal itself. AR has been identified as a key tool for education as it presents innovative ways to interact with one’s surroundings. This technology differs from Virtual Reality (VR) as it leaves the user in the real world and projects or manipulates their surroundings (Maddison, 2018). AR technology will continually become more intricate and personalized for each learner (EON Reality, 2019). As they become more specialized they will become a vital multimedia tool for healthcare education.

What Will the Classroom of 2030 Look like for the Student of the Future (EON Reality, 2019).
Infographic on Augmented Reality and Healthcare Education.

As seen in the infographic above, there are several new developments that represent the direction of development for Healthcare Education for professionals and patients. AccuVein, as seen in the video below, is an AR example that has the ability to project where a patient’s veins are on the skin (Maddison, 2018). This is beneficial for students learning to identify a patient’s veins. The Dual-Coding Theory comes into play as patients are able to add a stronger visual element to an otherwise auditory lesson on veins (McCue, 2021). The Spatial Contiguity Principle applies since AR places words or images near the real-world subject (McCue, 2021). This use of strategic placement is extremely beneficial for students to make connections in interact with the concepts. Additionally, these types of applications will reduce adverse events as it assists providers during routine care.  

AccuVein in action during sclerotherapy procedures (Vascular Surgery 2013 Looping Broadband m4v1., 2016).

References:

EON Reality. (2019, May). WHAT WILL THE CLASSROOM OF 2030 LOOK LIKE FOR THE STUDENT OF THE FUTURE? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_-GCrw24ic

Maddison, D. (2018). The Future of Augmented Reality. HealthManagment, 18(1). https://healthmanagement.org/c/healthmanagement/issuearticle/the-future-of-augmented-reality-in-healthcare.

McCue, R. (2021, February 20). Introduction to Infographics with Canva & Related Multimedia Learning Principles [MP4]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1k3deWbw2c

Vascular Surgery 2013 Looping Broadband m4v1. (2016). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Yl3uFWlvA.

7 Uses of Augmented Reality in Healthcare Education. Cognihab. (2020, September 16). https://www.cognihab.com/blog/augmented-reality-in-healthcare-education/.