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. 2022 Mar 23;10(1):e28595.
doi: 10.2196/28595.

Viewpoint: Virtual and Augmented Reality in Basic and Advanced Life Support Training

Serena Ricci  1   2 , Andrea Calandrino  2   3 , Giacomo Borgonovo  2   4 , Marco Chirico  2 , Maura Casadio  1   2
Affiliations

Viewpoint: Virtual and Augmented Reality in Basic and Advanced Life Support Training

Serena Ricci et al. JMIR Serious Games. .

Abstract

The use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for life support training is increasing. These technologies provide an immersive experience that supports learning in a safe and controlled environment. This review focuses on the use of AR and VR for emergency care training for health care providers, medical students, and nonprofessionals. In particular, we analyzed (1) serious games, nonimmersive games, both single-player and multiplayer; (2) VR tools ranging from semi-immersive to immersive virtual and mixed reality; and (3) AR applications. All the toolkits have been investigated in terms of application goals (training, assessment, or both), simulated procedures, and skills. The main goal of this work is to summarize and organize the findings of studies coming from multiple research areas in order to make them accessible to all the professionals involved in medical simulation. The analysis of the state-of-the-art technologies reveals that tools and studies related to the multiplayer experience, haptic feedback, and evaluation of user's manual skills in the foregoing health care-related environments are still limited and require further investigation. Also, there is an additional need to conduct studies aimed at assessing whether AR/VR-based systems are superior or, at the minimum, comparable to traditional training methods.

Keywords: augmented reality; basic and advanced life support; cardiopulmonary resuscitation; emergency; first aid; healthcare simulation; medical simulation; simulation training; training; virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Organization of the review. AR: augmented reality; MR: mixed reality; VR: virtual reality.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Examples of immersive tools. Left: VR application without haptic feedback. Center: MR system which combines an HMD with a manikin for a more realistic simulation experience. Right: AR application (Holo BLSD) designed to augment a physical manikin with a virtual representation [75]. AR: augmented reality; HMD: head-mounted display; MR: mixed reality; VR: virtual reality.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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