Impacts of immersive 3D videos on students' surgical learning compared to 2D videos: a randomized controlled trial

Unlike other medical specialties, surgery is primarily learned through apprenticeship, by observing surgeons in action during operations. However, the increasing number of medical students and work-hour restrictions limit opportunities for learning in the operating room (OR). These circumstances call for novel technologies, such as immersive video. The objective of this study is to compare knowledge retention, preparedness, and content engagement for surgical learning when watching a surgical video in 3D through a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) versus in 2D video on a conventional screen.

This randomized controlled trial includes 231 fourth-year medical students. Participants watched the same 12 min surgical video, narrated by an expert, presented either in immersive 3D form through an HMD, or in 2D form through a conventional screen. The students completed three questionnaires (previewing, postviewing, and 1 month later), which included questions on knowledge retention, expected preparedness, content engagement, tool engagement, and self-assessment. Statistical analyses were adjusted by including the confounding factors.

Immediately after the video, the 3D immersive video group showed a significantly lower knowledge retention score compared to the classic video group (P<0.01). Nonetheless, the 3D immersive video group demonstrated better-expected preparedness as a future resident (P=0.019), greater satisfaction (P=0.033), better stimulation (P<0.001), higher involvement (P<0.001), and a greater perceived ability to identify anatomical structures (P<0.001). After 1 month, participants in the immersive video group reported feeling more prepared (P=0.016), more self-confident (P=0.020), more at ease (P=0.023), and less overwhelmed (P<0.01) than those in the 2D video group.

Our results showed that 3D surgical immersive video vs. 2D surgical video, enhances the sense of stimulation, satisfaction, involvement, and the perception of having better identified anatomical structures. For early medical school students where access to the OR is limited, this tool appears to a significant step forward in surgical pedagogy. However, the precise understanding of its pedagogical value required further investigation and refinement.