Student´s perspectives regarding needs and opportunities on mixed-reality education at German medical schools in neurosurgery

Abstract-Text

Objective:
Despite mixed-reality being an emerging tool for tailored neurosurgical treatment
and safety enhancement, the use of mixed-reality in the education of german
medical students is not established in the field of neurosurgery. The present study
aimed to investigate medical students" perspectives on mixed-reality in medical
education of neurosurgical knowledge.

Methods:
Between July 3 rd , 2023 and August 30 th , 2023, an online survey was performed
among German medical students through their student"s associations and the
educational institutions they were affiliated with. The survey included 17 items
related to mixed-reality in neurosurgery, with participants providing ratings on a
4-point Likert scale to indicate their level of agreement with the statements.

Results:
A total of 150 students from 27 medical faculties in Germany took part in the
survey. A significant majority (87.3%) comprising 131 students
expressed strong to intense interest in mixed-reality courses in neurosurgery
and 108 (72%) reported an interest in incorporating mixed-reality into their
curriculum. Furthermore, 94.7% agreed, that mixed-reality might enhance their
understanding of operative neuroanatomy and 72.7% agreed with the idea that the
teaching via mixed-reality methods might increase the probability to use mixed-
reality in their future career. The majority (116/150; 77.3%) reported that the
preferred optimum timepoint for teaching with mixed-reality might be within the
first three years of medical school. Students studying within the first two years
particularly preferred to start mixed-reality courses in the first two years of
medical school compared to students within their third to sixth year of medical
school (71.9% vs. 41.5%, p = 0.003). Residents and attending specialists are
believed to be the appropriate teachers by 118 students (78.7%).

Conclusions:
German medical students exhibit significant interest and willingness to engage in
mixed-reality in neurosurgery. Evidently, there is a high demand for medical
schools to provide mixed-reality courses. Students seem to prefer the courses as
early as possible in their medical school to transfer the preclinical
neuroanatomical knowledge into operative neurosurgical anatomy using this
promising technique.