삼육대 이용우 교수팀, ‘VR 물리치료 교육’ 효과 과학적 입증

A team of researchers from Seoul National University, led by Professor Il-young Yoo and graduate student Hye-kyung Huh, have scientifically proven the effectiveness of VR-based physical therapy education. The study, published in the international journal JMIR Medical Education, found that immersive 180-degree video-based virtual reality instruction significantly improves students' learning satisfaction, technology acceptance, motivation, and quiz-based learning achievement compared to traditional 2D video education.

The researchers divided 52 undergraduate physical therapy students into two groups: an immersive 3D VR education group (28 students) and a conventional 2D video education group (24 students). Both groups underwent four 3-4 minute educational sessions about clinical orthopedic assessments, including the four-point examination tests: supine hip, Hawkins-Kennedy, Yogasana, and Nier tests.

The VR group utilized head-mounted displays (HMD) and handheld controllers to observe patients' postures, examiner's hand positions and movements, and anatomical indicators in an immersive first-person environment. Students actively participated in learning by freely moving their gaze or adjusting video playback, experiencing a sense of presence, customized points of view, and the benefits of close observation.

The study concluded that VR education resulted in significantly higher learning satisfaction and technology acceptance scores than the 2D video group. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in learning motivation and academic achievement based on 12-question short quizzes. Based on these findings, the research team suggested that VR should be used as an auxiliary educational tool to help students become familiar with examination procedures, patient and therapist positions before engaging in actual clinical practice.

The team hopes that this study serves as a foundation for future research examining the impact of interactive VR and extended reality (XR) technologies on students' actual skill performance and clinical decision-making.