Advancing Interactive Medical Education of Anatomy Via the Metaverse Virtual 3D Printing Platform

Overview

The study aims to recruit 100 National Taiwan University 5th grade medical students who have completed a comprehensive basic anatomy course and are just entering surgical clinical rotations. Through a randomized controlled trial, educational training will be designed, and pre- and post-tests will be conducted to compare the effectiveness of learning advanced anatomy using the "Metaverse Virtual 3D Printing System" in virtual reality, versus the traditional method of "using flat diagrams to correlate with computed tomography scans." The study will assess the impact on learning outcomes, motivation, and learning experience in advanced anatomy education. We anticipate a well-structured learning model that bridges the gap between foundational and clinical medical courses.

Anatomy is an important component of medical education, especially during surgical clinical rotations. It is crucial for students to be able to correlate the knowledge from flat anatomical diagrams to medical images and actual three-dimensional structures. However, for students with limited experience, transforming unfamiliar anatomical structures from 2D to 3D can be challenging. In recent years, numerous studies have pointed out the significant benefits of using three-dimensional anatomical models in anatomy education. Furthermore, interactive educational tools have shown even greater advantages. The metaverse is a collective virtual shared space created by the integration of the internet and the physical world. It offers substantial assistance in virtual reality and interactive learning. While repeatedly using physical 3D printing for different body parts can enhance the understanding of three-dimensional structures, it is costly and time-consuming. Thus, through the collaborative effort of National Taiwan University Hospital department of surgery and Graduate institute of networking and multimedia, National Taiwan University, the "Metaverse Virtual 3D Printing System" has been developed to allow medical students to use wearable devices for immersive learning of detailed, interactive anatomy in a virtual platform.