Perspectives of Medical Students and Developers Regarding Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and 3D Printing Technologies: Survey Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and three-dimensional printing (3DP) hold transformative potential in education and healthcare. However, complete integration has not yet been achieved, and routine utilization is limited. There may exist a gap in understanding perspectives between medical students and developers. OBJECTIVE We investigated their perspectives regarding satisfaction, utilization trends, advantages, and current challenges of these technologies. METHODS Medical students and developers with expertise in these technologies participated in a four-week elective course that combined lectures and hands-on sessions. Students’ pre- and post- surveys were conducted to assess their satisfaction and utilization trends related to these technologies. A separate survey was conducted for developers to explore their satisfaction, utilization trends, advantages and current challenge with these technologies. RESULTS Students’ overall satisfaction with VR, AR, and 3DP was higher than that of developers. In VR, students were more satisfied than developers in the reality category, but there was no significant difference in their understanding of the concept and spatial ability categories in AR. Both groups anticipated the use of AR in surgery within 5 years but, had differing perspectives on student and resident education, personal and collaborative surgical planning, and communication with patient's caregivers. Developers recognized the advantages of VR as immersion, AR as engagement in AR, and MR as the integration of real and virtual spaces. They also highlighted hardware performance as a main challenge for VR, AR, and MR, with high manufacturing costs as a major challenge for 3DP. CONCLUSIONS This study elucidates the different perspectives between medical students and developers regarding 3D technologies, highlighting the discrepancy of potential applications and challenges within the medical field. These findings guide the integration of 3D technologies in education and healthcare to fulfill the needs and goals of both medical students and developers.