JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

The use of augmented and virtual reality for first aid 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 augmented and virtual reality for first aid training of healthcare providers, medical students and nonprofessionals. In particular, we analyzed i) serious games, non-immersive games, both single player and multiplayers; ii) virtual reality tools ranging from semi-immersive to immersive virtual and mixed reality; iii) augmented reality 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 reveal that tools and studies related to multiplayer experience, haptic feedback and evaluation of user’s manual skills in the foregoing healthcare-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.