Can Augmented Reality be utilised for disease education in health sciences and medicine?

Augmented reality (AR) offers users the ability to interact with virtual 3D models of the human body, providing a great potential for improving one’s understanding of health. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of AR in contrast with a pamphlet as a learning tool. 59 participants were randomised into two groups, one used AR and the latter used a printed pamphlet to learn identical content relating to stroke. Participants answered a pre-test multiple choice questionnaire to evaluate knowledge prior to the intervention. A Likert-scale questionnaire was used to determine participant perceptions post-learning intervention, followed by another multiple-choice post-test. Pre- and post-test scores suggested that participants learned in both interventions, although there were no significance differences between the interventions themselves. Participants reported better learning experiences when using AR, perceived that AR allowed them to better understand anatomy and that AR was a better learning tool.