Leveraging Augmented Reality Training Tool for Medical Education: a Case Study in Central Venous Catheterization

Central venous catheterization is a relatively common bedside medical procedure that involves the placement of a catheter into a patient's internal jugular vein in order to administer medication or fluids. To learn this technique, medical students traditionally practice on training mannequins under the guidance of a clinical instructor. The objective of this project was to co-develop a standardized augmented reality solution for teaching medical students this procedure, which would enable them to practice independently and at their own pace. Following an iterative design and prototyping process, we compiled a comprehensive set of usability heuristics specific to augmented reality healthcare applications, used to identify unique usability issues associated with augmented reality software. This approach offers a better strategy to improve the usability of augmented reality system and increases the potential to standardize and render medical education more accessible. The benefits of applying augmented reality to simulated medical education come with heavy consequences in the event of poor learning outcomes. The usability of these systems is paramount to ensure the development of clinical competence is facilitated and not hindered.