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Anatomy teachers urge students to come to education sessions at the dissection rooms as well-prepared as possible. To effectuate optimal preparation, assignments are designed to guide the students' learning processes. These assignment often include the use of anatomical figures in atlases. The role of augmented reality (AR) applications in helping students prepare for body donor-based teaching sessions at the dissection rooms remains quite elusive. Therefore, this study examines the effects of the use of an AR application compared to the use of anatomical atlases in helping students (n = 28) prepare for a neuroanatomy session at the dissection rooms with prosections. The study shows that students from both groups showed a similar improvement in anatomy test scores. The amount of experienced cognitive engagement, however, is higher in the experimental AR group. Based on these results, it can be suggested that an AR application is a valid method to help students prepare and could be an alternative to the use of anatomical atlases. Nevertheless, future studies should re-investigate this research question in larger cohorts. Also, it remains unknown whether cognitive engaged students are indeed the students who are better prepared for educational sessions at the dissection rooms., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Although an increased usage and development of 3D technologies is observed in healthcare over the last decades, full integration of these technologies remains challenging. The goal of this project is to qualitatively explore challenges, pearls, and pitfalls of AR/VR/3D printing applications usage in the medical field of a university medical center. Two rounds of face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured protocol. First an explorative round was held, interviewing medical specialists (8), PhD students (7), 3D technology specialists (5), and university teachers (3). In the second round, twenty employees in high executive functions of relevant departments were interviewed on seven statements that resulted from the first interviewing round. Data analysis was performed using direct content analyses. The first interviewing round resulted in challenges and opportunities in 3D technology usage that were grouped in 5 themes: aims of using AR/VR/3D printing (1), data acquisition (2), data management plans (3), software packages and segmentation tools (4), and output data and reaching end-user (5). The second interviewing round resulted in an overview of ideas and insights on centralization of knowledge, improving implementation of 3D technology in daily healthcare, reimbursement of 3D technologies, recommendations for further studies, and requirement of using certified software. An overview of challenges and opportunities of 3D technologies in healthcare was provided. Well-designed studies on clinical effectiveness, implementation and cost-effectiveness are warranted for further implementation into the clinical setting., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To provide an overview of the existing research concerning the use and effects of AR in patient education., Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines four electronic databases were systematically searched., Inclusion Criteria: empirical studies using any type of AR intervention in patient education across all medical specialties. Quality assessment of the retrieved literature was carried out., Results: Ten papers, comprising 788 patients, were identified and included (Randomized controlled trial (RCT)(n = 3), non-randomized controlled trial (n = 3), before-and-after study (n = 3), and qualitative survey (n = 1)). Retrieved literature showed itself to be highly heterogeneous. The studied population included patients suffering from a diverse spectrum of chronic diseases (e.g., prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy). Quantitative results indicated that the use of AR had a positive effect on knowledge retention and patient satisfaction. Qualitative findings suggested that patients liked the technology and felt comfortable with its use for educational purposes. The quality of the retrieved results was shown to be moderate to low., Conclusion: The limited evidence of this topic suggests the possible potential of AR in patient education., Practice Implication: More research, using high-quality study designs and more evidence-based interventions, is needed to fully appreciate the value of AR on patient education., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The use of Augmented Reality (AR) in anatomical education has been promoted by numerous authors. Next to financial and ethical advantages, AR has been described to decrease cognitive load while increasing student motivation and engagement. Despite these advantages, the effects of AR on learning outcome varies in different studies and an overview and aggregated outcome on learning anatomy is lacking. Therefore, a meta-analysis on the effect of AR vs. traditional anatomical teaching methods on learning outcome was performed. Systematic database searches were conducted by two independent investigators using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. This yielded five papers for meta-analysis totaling 508 participants; 240 participants in the AR-groups and 268 participants in the control groups. (306 females/202 males). Meta-analysis showed no significant difference in anatomic test scores between the AR group and the control group (- 0.765 percentage-points (%-points); P = 0.732). Sub analysis on the use of AR vs. the use of traditional 2D teaching methods showed a significant disadvantage when using AR (- 5.685%-points; P = 0.024). Meta-regression analysis showed no significant co-relation between mean difference in test results and spatial abilities (as assessed by the mental rotations test scores). Student motivation and/or engagement could not be included since studies used different assessment tools. This meta-analysis showed that insufficient evidence is present to conclude AR significantly impacts learning outcome and that outcomes are significantly impacted by students' spatial abilities. However, only few papers were suitable for meta-analysis, indicating that there is a need for more well-designed, randomized-controlled trials on AR in anatomy education research., (© 2021. The Author(s).)