The transfusion service laboratory in virtual reality

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Laboratory Medicine
• Virtual Reality Technology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift to distance learning for laboratory medicine clerkships.
• Remote learning presents challenges in maintaining student engagement and delivering experiential laboratory content.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an interactive 360° virtual reality (VR) walkthrough tour for laboratory medicine clerkships.
• To enhance learner engagement and provide experiential content in a remote educational setting.

Main Methods:

• Utilized off-the-shelf 360° cameras and software to create VR tours of Transfusion and Microbiology Laboratories.
• Incorporated interactive elements, navigation buttons, and blurred sensitive information within the VR environment.

Main Results:

• The VR tours were successfully implemented for both recruitment and educational purposes.
• The virtual walkthroughs offer a scalable solution for remote laboratory education.

Conclusions:

• Interactive VR walkthrough tours are a valuable tool for enhancing remote laboratory medicine clerkships.
• This technology has broad applicability for education and recruitment across various institutions globally.