Keen Penkian

Writing 2

Feldman

February 16, 2020

VR Meets Medicine (Revised)

Virtual reality is one of the most notable modern technologies that was introduced a

couple decades back and has recently taken technology to a new advancement. The term virtual

reality refers to a concept providing an immersive, interactive experience using the three-

dimensional computer based graphic images. It welcomes the stimulation of a generated artificial

environment with the help of computer hardware and software in which it replicates and

simulates the real environment. Although it is a great soar in the notion of the 3-dimensional

world, there’s still a lot continuing progress. We all have seen the use of virtual reality in the

world of video games, but it is now being influenced in many fields of life including architecture,

medicine, military and aviation. For this writing project specifically, I will be exploring the use

of virtual reality in medicine. The discussion below is an insight into the details of two scholarly

articles about the implementation of virtual reality in medicine for enhancing medical practices

and overall quality of medical settings. I will be supporting this topic from two different articles:

a primary and secondary source. The articles contain two different academic disciplines:

psychology and biomedical engineer. With these two disciplines I will explain how these two

articles distinguish each other and how the two disciplines cross paths to create a community.

Psychology is the study of behavior and mind that also includes conscious and

unconscious states. I will use this discipline to explain how virtual reality can enhance the brain’s

memory. Biomedical engineers typically design biomedical equipment and devices, such as
artificial internal organs, replacements for body parts, and machines for diagnosing medical

problems. Install, adjust, maintain, repair, or provide technical support for biomedical

equipment. I will use this discipline to explain the technology behind virtual reality and how it

can increase the overall quality in medicine.

In order for the implementation of virtual reality to institute we need to understand the

mechanics through the discipline of biomedical engineer. The first article is a scholarly source

from the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research called “Overview: Virtual Reality in Medicine,” by

Pensieri Claudio and Pennacchini Maddalena. This article is a report of the results, through the

use of a search query, of articles and reviews from various sources containing the theme:

“Virtual Reality in Medicine.” This article is broken down into four parts: an introduction,

methods, result, and a discussion. This is very similar to a lab report with a set of data that is

analyzed and conducted with results. To understand virtual reality, we need to know its

components. In the introduction Claudio and Maddalena (2014) give a list of what a virtual

reality system consists of which are, a database construction and virtual object modeling

software, an input tool (trackers, gloves or user interface), a graphic rendering system, an output

tool (visual, oral, and haptic), and a VR sensory stimuli delivery (Heim 1998, 2). Under the

virtual reality system, the player experiences immersion, interactivity, information intensity. In

the medical world physicians and surgeons utilize simulations as “the ultimate goal of VR is the

presentation of virtual objects to every human sense in a way identical to their natural

counterpart” (Székely 1999, 3). Compared to using dummies and producing various body parts

and organs, virtual reality will efficiently have a set of items and counterparts available at any

instance. There are four uses to virtual reality that are applied in medicine which are

communication interface, medical education, surgical simulation, and therapy. Communication

interface is the “full immersion of the human sensory motor channels into a vivid and global

communication experience” (Biocca 1995, 5). The studies provided when using communication

interface towards patients aimed to recognize emotions, improve social interaction, and learning

how to express their emotions and empathy. For example, being a psychologist, you need to able

to recognize any patients’ emotions and with the use of virtual reality, you can simulate trials in

different situations. In medical education clinicians and students “can understand important

physiological principles or basic anatomy” (Alcañiz 2000, 7). This is perfect for students in

medical schools. Being able to go into a virtual world and educating through an interface with a

list of medical principles and learning each individual anatomy in the body is substantially much

more efficient for studying. In surgical simulations “supercomputers now allow the integration of

quite massive databases derived from structural imaging of diseased organs and their

simultaneous functional mapping” (10). This allows surgeons and residents to be able to practice

specific complex surgical procedures before attempting actual surgeries. In therapy it is used for

phobias, PTSD, anxiety disorders, rehab, and clinical/pain management. They use an “advanced

imaginary system: an experiential form of imagery that is as effective as reality in inducing

emotional responses” (North, 1997; Vincelli, 2001). This can enhance a patient’s therapeutic

experience by exposing themselves to phobic situations and being able to overcome them. This

article does a great job of describing the biomedical engineer of virtual reality for different fields

in medicine. It refers to other sources and interprets those sources for the audience to understand

the medical applications of virtual reality.

After learning the mechanics of virtual reality, now we need to dive into the

psychological sense of VR and how it can enhance a player’s medical practices. For my second

article “Virtual health education” by Denyse King, et al., it argues that Virtual Reality has the
potential to change healthcare education and medical practices. This paper is a scholarly source

that’s structured with an introduction, its 3 main arguments, and a conclusion. In order for virtual

reality to be a tool for medicine, we need to perform experimentation and illicit positive results.

This paper introduces their experimentation of virtual reality, with the partnership of UK

University and other technological providers, that it has the potential to transform simulated

training and clinical education for students. In section 2 “Perspectives on Simulation” it explains

how in the past and presently, we use anatomical models for students to practice but not every

medical setting is updated to have similar “manikins” which leads to the expenses to the

replacement of old and damaged equipment. To resolve that situation, virtual reality “can

provide students with a sense of flexibility and belonging within their new placements, which

may contribute to a reduction in anxiety and improve confidence when they are in real life

clinical settings” (Ferguson et al., 2014). In section 3 “Integrating Digital Capability,” the

potential benefits for virtual reality for health care students is significant. It provides a range of

educational opportunities, familiarize with experiences of their clinical work, and enhance their

abilities by practicing challenges there are not comfortable with. Not only that but it can “offer

students space to experience and engage in co-learning through uni-professional and or

multidisciplinary group working simulation” (Falconer 2013). Imagine being able to interact

with other doctors and nurses within your virtual environment and collaboratively working

together to perform surgeries and conduct research. In section 4 “Collaborative Immersive

Learning Virtual Reality Series (CILVRS),” it dives into the use of immersive virtual reality

learning environments to bridge the theory and practice gap for health care students. CILVRS

students “will be able to increase their confidence when entering clinical practice and will be

offered opportunities to experience ‘safe fails’” (Vaughan 2007).

 References

 King, Denyse, Stephen Tee, Liz Falconer, Catherine Angell, Debbie Holley, and Anne

Mills. "Virtual Health Education: Scaling Practice to Transform Student Learning: Using

Virtual Reality Learning Environments in Healthcare Education to Bridge the

Theory/practice Gap and Improve Patient Safety." Nurse Education Today 71 (2018): 7-

9. Web.

 Pensieri, Claudio, and Maddalena Pennacchini. "Overview: Virtual Reality in

Medicine." Journal For Virtual Worlds Research 7.1 (2014): Journal For Virtual Worlds

Research, 01/28/2014, Vol.7(1). Web.

 T. Ferguson, T. Howell, L. Parsons. The birth experience: learning through clinical

simulation. Int. J. Childbirth Educ., 29 (3) (2014), p. 66

 L. Falconer. Situated learning in accident investigation: a virtual world simulation case

study. Int. J. Learn. Technol., 8 (3) (2013), pp. 246-262

 N. Vaughan. Perspectives on blended learning in higher education. Int. J. E-

Learning, 6 (1) (2007), pp. 81-94