VR Immersion - The Evolution of Medical Education

MARGARET MANN, MD, FAAD, FAVLS CHAIR, AVLS EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Ideally, everyone could learn a procedure by standing right beside the performing physician and observing. Medical education has searched for ways to provide this same experiential education to everyone. Whether it is an operating theater or a live stream on a screen, the experiences are not quite the same. But Virtual Reality or VR is changing the game.

The American Vein & Lymphatic Society is thrilled to bring Virtual Reality training to venous and lymphatic medicine through its partnership with Med360, which began with the April 2019 Sclerotherapy Course in Chicago, IL.

In a live education course, VR labs will allow individuals to watch a procedure through a provided headset, putting every individual right next to the performing physician. The headset provides a full 360-degree video of the operating room creating a completely immersive experience, allowing viewers to look where they want to, when they want to, whether it is at the tools selected for the procedure or a close up of the patient. A simple click or turn of the head can change the camera angle, allowing the viewer to “stand” in a different spot in the room without affecting anyone else’s experience. Everyone gets to learn by standing right beside the performing physician.

The next step will be having VR education in the comfort of one’s home. While nothing beats gathering together with peers to learn, it is not always feasible for every willing attendee to take time away from work to travel. Virtual reality is about removing barriers to learning.

VR training provides hundreds of remote attendees access to attend lectures with a front row seat followed by real case participation in a surgical center or clinic without leaving the comfort of their office or home. As these courses are developed, it will be possible to provide a “near-live” educational experience anytime, anywhere, without having to wait for a live course to be offered or taking time off from the office, an attendee can view lectures and live cases in an immersive experience right from their home or office.