Currently submitted to: JMIR XR and Spatial Computing (JMXR)
Date Submitted: Mar 15, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 25, 2026 - May 20, 2026
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Augmented Reality with Haptic Feedback and Conversational Avatars for Teaching Inflammatory Arthritis: Pilot Study on Usability and Acceptability
ABSTRACT
Background:
Medical education in rheumatology faces challenges in delivering effective clinical teaching, particularly in situations where bedside learning opportunities are limited. Augmented reality (AR) technologies offer immersive learning environments that may enhance engagement and improve conceptual understanding of complex disease processes. Although AR has been explored in other areas of medical education, its application in rheumatology education remains largely unexplored.
Objective:
This pilot study aimed to develop an AR-based case scenario for teaching rheumatoid arthritis and to evaluate its feasibility, usability and acceptability among non-rheumatology healthcare learners.
Methods:
Non-rheumatology trainee junior doctors, medical students and nurses attended a teaching session comprising a 60-minute didactic lecture on the approach to inflammatory arthritis followed by an AR base-based scenario focused on rheumatoid arthritis. Learners interacted with a virtual patient avatar and performed a hand joint examination using a haptic feedback glove. The AR platform supported real-time verbal interaction regarding diagnosis, investigations and management. After the session, participants completed a questionnaire on usability, acceptability and perceived educational value. Descriptive statistics summarized demographics and survey responses.
Results:
Nineteen participants completed the session, including 15 junior non-rheumatology doctors (79%), 2 medical students (11%), one nurse (5%) and one rheumatology senior resident (5%). Most participants were aged 18 to 30 years (69.2%). Mean acceptability rating was 7.84 out of 10 (SD 1.2) and usability of the system was 79%. Most participants reported feasibility of the AR learning platform was 95%. Most participants reported improved understanding of rheumatoid arthritis (95%) and improved understanding of hand joint examination (74%). Majority of participants (85%) expressed interest in future AR-based tutorials.
Conclusions:
AR-based rheumatology teaching was feasible and well-accepted among non-rheumatology healthcare learners in this pilot study. Participants report high usability and perceived gains in understanding of inflammatory arthritis and hand joint examination. AR may complement traditional teaching, particularly when bedside exposure is constrained. Larger studies incorporating objective learning outcomes are needed to define its educational impact. Clinical Trial: augm
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