Virtual Reality Simulators in Medicine: Current and Future Concerns

Abstract

There has been recent surge in the development of medical virtual reality simulators. These systems incorporate visual, auditory, and haptic displays and enable users to learn the skills needed to perform medical and surgical procedures in much the same way that flight simulators facilitate pilot training. These devices offer numerous training benefits to the user and also have the potential to improve patient safety. Despite these advantages, the medical community has been slow to embrace this technology. In fact, many of the current systems appear to showcase what can be done from a technological perspective instead of what should be done from the user's perspective. Thus, the purpose of this panel is to bring together experts who use, evaluate, and train with medical VR simulators to discuss current and future human factors concerns that impact the acceptance of this new technology.