A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Augmented Reality Just-in-Time Guidance for the Performance of Rugged Field...

Area of Science:

• Medical simulation and emergency medicine training.
• Human-computer interaction in healthcare.
• Augmented reality applications in prehospital care.

Background:

• Prehospital medical resuscitations involve high-risk procedures in resource-limited environments.
• Augmented reality (AR) mediated Just-in-Time Guidance (JITG) may address challenges in emergent field care.
• Limited literature exists on the utility of AR-JITG for critical prehospital procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of a novel AR-mediated JITG tool for emergency field procedures.
• To evaluate AR-JITG's impact on the performance of critical prehospital interventions.

Main Methods:

• Emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) and paramedic cohorts were randomized to video training (control) or JITG-AR guidance (intervention).
• Participants performed bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation, intraosseous (IO) line placement, and needle-decompression (Needle-d) in a medium-fidelity simulation.
• Primary outcome: task performance; Secondary outcomes: participant-reported acceptability, task time, and usability.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in task performance scores between AR-JITG and control groups for most procedures in EMT-B and paramedic cohorts.
• Control groups generally performed tasks faster than the AR-JITG intervention group.
• No significant difference in usability ratings; however, paramedics reported lower likelihood of future use of AR-JITG.

Conclusions:

• AR-mediated guidance for emergency medical procedures is feasible and acceptable in a simulated prehospital environment.
• Preliminary evidence suggests AR's potential for enhancing training and practice, warranting further investigation.
• Technological advancements in AR may further improve its utility in real-time emergency medical interventions.