Effectiveness and satisfaction with virtual and donor dissections: A randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anatomy Education Technology
• Virtual Reality in Medicine

Background:

• Traditional human anatomy education relies on donor dissection, facing challenges in accessibility and scalability.
• Virtual dissection technologies are emerging as potential alternatives to traditional methods.
• Evaluating the efficacy of virtual dissection in comparison to donor dissection is crucial for modernizing anatomy curricula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the academic performance and student satisfaction between virtual dissection and traditional donor dissection.
• To assess the impact of novel virtual reality tools, including head-mounted displays (HMDs), touchscreens, and tablets, on anatomy learning.
• To determine the potential of virtual dissection to supplement or replace donor dissection in medical education.

Main Methods:

• An open-labeled, crossover randomized controlled trial involving 154 first-year medical students.
• Students were assigned to either virtual-first or donor-first dissection groups in Human Anatomy and Neuroanatomy laboratories.
• A curriculum incorporating HMDs, life-sized touchscreens, and tablets was developed; data collected via quizzes and surveys.

Main Results:

• The virtual dissection group achieved significantly higher mean quiz scores in both Human Anatomy and Neuroanatomy laboratories compared to the donor group (p < 0.05).
• Students reported significantly higher satisfaction with HMDs, life-size touchscreens, and tablets compared to donor dissection, citing improved esthetics, concept understanding, immersion, spatial ability, and intention for continuous use.
• Specific improvements were noted for HMDs (concept understanding, immersion), touchscreens (esthetics, concept understanding, spatial ability), and tablets (esthetics, concept understanding, spatial ability, continuous use intention).

Conclusions:

• Virtual dissection, utilizing advanced technologies like HMDs and interactive screens, offers a superior learning experience compared to traditional donor dissection.
• The findings suggest that virtual dissection is a viable and effective tool that can supplement or potentially replace donor dissection in anatomy education.
• This study validates the efficacy of scenario-based virtual content delivery and its positive impact on both academic performance and student satisfaction in anatomy.