Loma Linda University Trains Students Using Augmented Reality
7 June 2018 | Students from the School of Medicine and School of Allied Health Professions at Loma Linda University are being trained using Augmented Reality glasses. According to a news report on the university’s website, students have used the AR glasses for hands-on simulation-based learning of central line, an invasive technical skill frequently used by healthcare professionals and placed in the neck, shoulder or groin area. Central line is frequently used to provide a patient medication or fluids through the vein.
Conventional central line training has employed the “see one, do one, teach one” approach but LLU faculty are confident that simulation-based learning can help improve student skills without exposing patients to risk.
Laren Tan, MD, FCCP, a critical care pulmonologist and obstructive lung specialist at Loma Linda University Health said that simulation-based learning has shown to improve procedural knowledge and safety protocols.
The institution’s AR journey started three years ago when a team of faculty from LLU and La Sierra University decided to send a proposal to Brother (the company behind the technology) to use their AiRScouter augmented glasses for central line simulation. The idea was that student use of the glasses would help determine if central line simulation would sharpen their skills and ultimately prove beneficial to the patient.
“The unique part about AR is that it doesn’t change the reality you are in, but adds on to what you are currently experiencing,” said Tan.
Students can read text, watch video or live chat while wearing the glasses. LLU claims that using AR allows students and healthcare professionals to stay compliant with safety protocols and secure the best outcome for the patient.
A postquestionnaire of students using the AR glasses revealed that 80 percent felt that the information displayed was appropriate and not difficult to read. Loma Linda University currently owns five AR glasses and is looking at expanding their use.
“We will continue to explore the use of AR in the classroom and provide our students with the hands-on training they need to be the best healthcare professionals,” said Tan.
Loma Linda University is an Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California. The university has eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is the denomination’s flagship health sciences institution.
