UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT

& TECHNOLOGY
Department of Information Technology

RESEARCH PAPER
Virtualized Medical Training Simulation
An Analytical Study on the Use of Simulation Technologies in
Medical Education

SUBMITTED BY:
M.Haseeb Asif__F2022105109
Jannat Imtiaz__F2022105216
Malika Zahra__F2022105205

SUBMITTED TO:
SIR.FAHAD ALI

SECTION:
Y-2

Date of Submission:
April 25, 2025
Abstract:
Virtualized medical training simulations have emerged as a powerful educational approach
that complements traditional teaching in healthcare by offering safe, realistic, and
interactive environments for learners. Simulation-based learning (SBL) helps integrate
theoretical knowledge with hands-on practice, especially for undergraduate medical
students. With advancements in technology, SBL has evolved into Virtual Simulation (VS),
accessible through web platforms and enhanced by immersive technologies such as Virtual
Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Standardized Patients (VSPs). Scientific
research supports the effectiveness of virtual simulations in disciplines like neurosurgery,
where realistic, 3D anatomical models built using CT/MRI scans allow in-depth exploration
and interaction. Additionally, Virtual Patients (VPs) provide standardized software for
simulating rare or critical clinical cases, enhancing students’ clinical reasoning and
diagnostic skills. Recognized by global medical education standards and institutions,
virtualized simulations continue to transform medical education by bridging gaps between
classroom knowledge and real-world clinical practice. In this paper, we will discuss how
simulation-based learning, particularly through Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality
(AR), and Virtual Standardized Patients (VSPs), is transforming medical education by
improving clinical skills, decision-making, and bridging the gap between theoretical
knowledge and real-world practice.
Keywords: Virtual Simulation, Medical Education, Simulation-Based Learning (SBL), Virtual
Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Standardized Patient (VSP)

INTRODUCTION:
Virtual patient (VP) is a standardized computer software which allows simulation of real
clinical scenarios that encompass the most frequent clinical cases to critical situations. The
aim of VP is to expose students to virtual scenarios that would otherwise be difficult to find
or to deal with in real life. Evidence shows that a greater number of worked cases results
in a better performance in real life. VP is still under development and relatively unexplored
from a pedagogic perspective. This tool has been accepted by the Liaison Committee on
Medical Education (LCME) as a resource to teach rare but necessary clinical situations. In
addition, it is part of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE Step 3) since
1999. In Colombia, Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá (FSFB), a high complex medical
institution, and SENA (National Apprenticeship Service from the acronym in Spanish)
developed a computer-based simulation model i.e., “The Virtual Patient: Simulator of
Clinical Cases”, which enables the students to prepare a clinical record, generate a
diagnosis hypothesis and a treatment plan. How to effectively improve the medical
knowledge reserve ability of medical students and establish an effective relationship
between professional theoretical study and clinical practice are two major problems
currently facing global medical education [1].The medical knowledge system is huge, the
content varies, and the learning cycle is long. It is difficult for medical students to establish
a solid knowledge system and enhance their perceptual medical knowledge only through
traditional two-dimensional learning. The traditional one-way input theoretical learning
and autopsy learning mode cannot be individualized for specific students, and autopsy
learning is limited by ethical issues and the number of available specimens, so it is difficult
to maintain teaching quality [1, 2].
In recent years, virtual reality (VR) simulators have been widely used in the field of medical
teaching and have achieved good results. Many hospitals are now using virtual reality to
assist senior surgical residents in improving surgical technology, and this training has
shown to enhance learning efficiency, knowledge transfer, and skill transfer [3]. It is
because VR simulators can give prompt feedback to learners from visual and aural
multisensory and multiangle viewpoints [4], which is also critical in clinical medical
education [5]. According to the different input operations of the operator, they can
formulate the corresponding processing results and output them in real time, which is also
called real-time interaction [6]. This kind of immediate feedback can prompt the operators
to change the learnin (Andrés Isaza-Restrepo, 2018) process from passive to active and
construct a relationship between visual feedback and psychological expectations in the
learning process [7,8,9]. The improvement in learners’ three-dimensional imagination,
active operation and exploration of learning skills can improve their knowledge reserve
ability. According to the most recent comparative bibliometrics analysis, students may
grasp the theoretical understanding of learning and improve the teaching impact with the
use of 3D technology in the classroom [10]. Compared with traditional teaching
methods(or combining with 3D technology), this immersive learning method provided by
VR technology can arouse students’ interest in learning, stimulate their motivation for
active learning and build their individual medical knowledge reserve system [11, 12].Sports
[13], tourism [14], surgical simulation [15], rehabilitation counseling [16], simulated
military operations [17], and education [18] are some of the current uses for virtual reality.
A secure, consistent, and individualized learning environment may be offered via a VR
learning platform [19]. Learners may fully express their subjective initiative on the VR
platform and, through repeated efforts and exercises, enhance their grasp and cognition
of a specific professional expertise. The prevalence of new COVID-19 has further
encouraged the use of VR technology in the area of education [20, 21]. VR is now playing a
bigger and bigger part in the educational world as online learning steadily replaces
traditional classroom instruction[19]. The majority of study subjects in the medical area of
VR have become physicians through clinical practice, however there is a dearth of research
on the education of medical students at the undergraduate level. In addition to surgical
technical supervision and tele-rehabilitation research demonstrating that VR may cure
certain major illnesses, supporting VR instruction in undergraduate education is essential,
since it is an essential component of VR's spread [22].In our initial research, we pioneered
the use of VR in undergraduate surgical Achilles tendon suture instruction and discovered
that students in the experimental group were better able to grasp the procedure [18]. The
high application cost is the main obstacle to popularizing VR education in various countries
and regions. The rapid progress and iterative adaptation of modern digital technology is
the inevitable trend of the development of science and technology [23]. With continuous
changes in technology, in addition to enriching the diversity of VR teaching forms, reducing
the application cost is an inevitable trend of science and technology products [23]. Even
though the current application of VR simulation has some shortcomings, such as increasing
the mental pressure on users and high cost [24, 25], integrating digital teaching into
medical courses will be a long-term and continuous process. From the point of view of
teaching purposes, VR simulation improves the quality and efficiency of education and is a
supplement to traditional education rather than a substitute. During the COVID-19
epidemic, the need for remote education has skyrocketed, and VR applications in
undergraduate education are also on the rise, particularly in medical education that calls
for clinical learning experiences [16].
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