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Effectiveness of AR goggles in training medical students

LTC Kenneth Wilson and colleagues conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of AR goggles in training medical students the correct procedure for treating a tension pneumothorax in a pre-hospital setting. They found that the AR goggles helped participants conduct the needle decompression more accurately than a group of students who had to recall the procedure from the lecture. 

Wilson, K. L., Doswell, J. T., Fashola, O. S., Debeatham, W., Darko, N., … , Weaver, W. L. (2013). Using augmented reality as a clinical support tool to assist combat medics in the treatment of tension pneumothoraces. Military Medicine, 178, 981-985. 

Shortfalls of ‘traditional’ manikins used for training combat medics

Winner and Millwater (2019) describe the use of manikins in training combat medics but highlight the shortfalls associated with traditional human patient simulators. They call for more empirical assessments of the effects of simulator fidelity on training effectiveness. Winner and Millwater posit that simulators that augment traditional manikins with perceptual cue training might be more effective in training combat medics. 

Winner, J. & Millwater, T. L. Evaluating human patient simulation fidelity and effectiveness for combat-medical training. In press, April 2019, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care 2019. Sage India: New Delhi, India: SAGE Publications. [peer-reviewed]