Healthcare students are better prepared for clinical situations when they experience realistic patient scenarios. Leading institutions like Otago Polytechnic School of Nursing are turning to immersive technologies to provide these experiences to their students. Otago was an early adopter of HoloPatient, a mixed-reality app that utilizes Microsoft's HoloLens 2.
HoloPatient allows learners to see, hear, and assess holographic patient pathologies to practice a range of protocols, developing essential clinical assessment and diagnostic skills. Otago has been using HoloPatient, and the HoloHuman 3D anatomy app, for the past three years. Both students and educators have praised its effectiveness in enhancing learning outcomes.
Otago's applications of the technology include:
- Integration in nursing, physiology, and midwifery curricula
- A variety of clinical placement simulations
- Merging clinical situations with theory
Principal Lecturer Emma Collins, who implements mixed reality into Otago's healthcare curricula, says the immersive experiences resonate with students better than 2D textbooks and computer screens. She credits HoloPatient and HoloHuman for providing a safe place for students to develop their clinical assessment skills and confidence in patient interactions.
The student feedback has been promising as well, with such remarks as:
- “A highly adaptable tool that gives cues not easily replicated in practice labs, giving a more realistic assessment.”
- “Allowed me to apply skills I had learned and put them into practice – I learn by doing.”
- "Being able to see physical signs and symptoms is far more beneficial than explaining them.”
We partnered with Emma Collins to bring you a case study outlining Otago's goals, applications, and results using HoloPatient and HoloHuman. Download the report for an in-depth look at how powerful this technology can be in healthcare learning and education.
Additional Resources
Introducing HoloPatient: COVID-19
eBook - Immersive Tech in Medical Training Explored
Haptics & Advanced Sensory Perception in Extended Realities
