Exploring the impact of virtual reality anatomy training on preparing biomedical illustrators for drawing anatomical...

Three-dimensional visualization technologies (3DVTs) in anatomy education are popular as they offer a cost-effective and accessible alternative to cadaveric specimens. However, the literature presents conflicting results regarding the effectiveness of 3DVTs in facilitating learning compared with traditional models. This study explores whether displaying 3D models using a virtual reality (VR) headset induces a stereoscopic experience comparable to that of physical models, by examining the quality of learners' depth perception as they reference different modalities to complete a series of illustrations. Using a crossover design, biomedical illustration trainers were randomly assigned to two groups and completed three illustrations using different reference modalities (2D, prosection, VR model). Illustrations were scored by subject matter experts using a validated scoring rubric and the mean scores for each modality were compared. Following their VR experience, participants completed a cybersickness and user experience survey. Participants (n = 17) were confirmed to have stereovision and average visuospatial ability. A two-way repeated measure ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of modality, where illustrations produced while referencing the 2D cadaveric image and prosection scored higher than those created using the VR model. Notably, participants demonstrated reduced ability in depicting depth of anatomical layers when referencing the VR model. Contrary to our hypothesis, the VR models did not provide similar quality of depth perception as prosection. Qualitative data suggest this may be a result of methodological challenges that increase cognitive processing demands on learners, potentially hindering learners' ability to interpret visuospatial cues.