How immersive video can help improve surgical training.

The popularity of e-learning and blended learning within surgical training is rising [1]. From gamified training to simulation, a more expansive plethora of technologies and innovations are being used now than ever before. 

One of these common methods of blended learning is integrating video into teaching courses. Having shown to ‘increase accessibility’ and reach a more diverse and dispersed audience [2]. However, the term video is broad and ‘video’ in itself could be applied in multiple ways. So what exactly is immersive video and how can it be used successfully in a medical education setting?

Introducing immersive video.

Often referred to as 360° or 360VR video, immersive video is a type of video content that is designed to make viewers feel like they are inside the video. With the possibility to be paired with VR, the video is intended to make whatever experience the viewer is watching feel as realistic and immersive as possible. For example, think of a 360 degree video of a roller coaster watched with VR glasses. The ability to look around and see trees whizz by gives you a much better sense of speed than if it is viewed on a 2D screen.

Immersive video for teaching.

Immersive learning is already a method sometimes used in education and has been shown to be beneficial in creating a captivating video-based style of teaching “360-degree video and its use in educational settings are recognised positively by the public” [3]. As a teaching tool, they may provide an effective, more accessible, and more cost-effective alternative to VR. “360-degree videos have the potential to generate experiences which induce similar emotional and cognitive reactions to real-life situations and thus could potentially provide more realistic role expectation” [4]. 

Why does it work?

Immersive and 360° video is, as the name implies, more immersive than ordinary 2D video. Allowing one the ability to look around and focus clearly on, for example, the motion of the surgeon’s arms and interaction with the medical equipment. This has a significant influence on the motivation of students, who feel more likely to learn using the 360-degree video than 2D video due to the ‘enhanced and contextualised learning environment’[4]. It can also be used in conjunction with other teaching methods, such as VR, gamification, or offline teaching courses to create a thorough and varied blended learning experience.

What are the drawbacks of immersive video?

The main drawback is the lack of movement of the point of view, causing you to feel like you aren’t actually present. 360-degree videos are passive and don’t allow movement and only allow the adjustment of point of perspective. Additionally, even though immersive videos are good at giving an accurate interpretation of the filmed process, they cannot replace the experience of practical classes such as cadaver dissection courses. In these cases, video-based content can be used in a complementary way to the course, such as a way to look back at the class once the class is over.

How do we use immersive video?

Recently Crescent Med partnered with Medical X to create an immersive video of training performed on one of their patient simulators. Using a Crescent Vision Live Headset and a Vuze XR to film both the perspective of the trainer and a 360-degree view of the procedure. Capturing both the 180-degree view of the procedure and a first person’s perspective of the operating area from the professionals’ perspective gives the viewer a wide variety of angles from which to view a procedure. The zoom and wide angles from the Crescent Vision allow the viewers to observe meticulous details of the procedure while also observing the way the trainer moves their hands and uses their tools. The 180-degree view allows you to observe the procedure from a bystander perspective while being able to move around and focus on different areas of the procedure, for example taking a closer look at the way a tool is gripped. The 180° camera also gives the trainer a point of reference to communicate with, so the student still feels like they are being talked to.

You can see a short edit of the video and experience it yourself here:

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