A comparative study between a virtual reality heart anatomy system and traditional medical teaching modalities

The aim of using virtual reality (VR) as a medical training tool is to offer additional means to teach students and to improve the quality of medical skills. A novel system was developed to fulfil the requirements of modern medical education and overcome the challenges faced by both students and lecturers in the process of knowledge transfer. A heart three-dimensional model presented in a virtual reality (VR) environment has been implemented in order to facilitate a new educational modality. This paper reports the outcome of a comparative study between traditional medical teaching modalities and virtual reality technology. This study was conducted in the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Jordan. The participants were asked to perform system trials and experiment with the system by navigating through the system interfaces, as well as being exposed to the traditional physical model of the human heart that is currently used in the faculty during practical anatomy sessions. Afterwards, they were asked to provide feedback via a comparative questionnaire. The participants’ replies to the questions regarding the Physical Heart Model and VR heart anatomy system were assessed for reliability using Cronbach’s alpha. The first group’s (Physical Heart Model questions) α value was 0.689. The second group’s (VR heart anatomy system questions) α value was 0.791. Comparing students’ experience results between the traditional method (Physical Heart Model) and the VR heart anatomy system, the mean scores showed a distinct increase in the values. This indicates that the developed system enhanced their experience in anatomy learning and the provided tools improved their understanding of heart anatomy. Results demonstrated the usefulness of the system by showing a higher satisfaction rate for the provided tools regarding structure and visualisation.