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TMCNet: 'Mixed Reality' Human Helps Medical Students Learn to Do Intimate Exams

[June 23, 2009]

'Mixed Reality' Human Helps Medical Students Learn to Do Intimate Exams

GAINESVILLE,Fla.,Jun23,2009(ASCRIBENEWSviaCOMTEX)-- "What bringsyouintoseemetoday?" "Partofmyleftbreasthasbeenpainfulforawhile." "CanyouliedownsothatIcanexamineyou?" Itsoundslikeasnippetofconversationbetweendoctor andpatient.Butthedoctor,inthisrecentexchangeatthe UniversityofFloridacampus,wasactuallyanengineering doctoralstudent--andthepatienta"mixedrealityhuman" composedofalife-sizedcomputeravataronaflatscreen andamannequinwithaprostheticbreast.

Intimateproceduressuchasbreastexams,whilearoutine andcriticalpartofmedicalcare,arenotoriouslytoughto teach.Medicalstudentspracticeondisembodiedprosthetics buthavelimitedopportunitiestopracticeexamsonreal people--especiallypatientswhohaveanabnormality.Ina collaborationwiththeAugusta,Ga.-basedMedicalCollegeof Georgiaandthreeotheruniversities,UFengineershave craftedasolution:ahybridcomputer/mannequinthathelps trainstudentsnotonlyhowtocorrectlyperformabreast exam--butalsohowtotalkto,andgleaninformationfrom, thepatientduringtheprocedure.

Theprojectisimportantbecausecorrectexaminationsand gooddoctor-patientcommunicationarecriticaltosuccessful medicaltreatment,saidBenjaminLok,aUFassistant professorofcomputerandinformationsciencesand engineeringwhoheadstheeffort.

"Studieshaveshownthatcommunicationskillsare actuallyabetterpredictorofoutcomethanmedicalskills,"Loksaid.

Withthevirtualpatient,"allofasudden, studentshavetonotonlypracticetheirtechnique,butthey alsohavetoworkontheirempathy." Themixedrealityhuman,namedAmandaJones,"talks"to students,andtheyrespondviaacomputerspeechandvoice recognitionsystemtailoredbydoctoralstudentAaron Kotranza,Lokandothersontheteam.Herphysicalform--a mannequin--isimmobile,buthervirtualrepresentation, createdbytheengineers,movesandspeaksfromalargeflat screenaboveherphysicalbody.StudentscanalsoviewJones throughahead-mounteddisplay.

Theinteractionisunscripted,butitfollowsatypical patternforawoman'svisitandexamination--withboth verbalandtactilechallengesforthemedicalstudents.

ThestudentmustteaseoutJones'medicalhistory,listen toherconcernsandrespondtoherquestions.Justasina realexam,thisinteractionoccurssimultaneouslywiththe physicalexamination.Forthat,thestudentmustusethe correctpalpitatingtechniqueandapplytheproper pressure.Sensorswithintheprostheticbreast--developed byDr.CarlaPughatNorthwesternUniversity--provide pressureinformationdepictedbycolorsonthevirtual breast,guidingstudentsintheexams.Theengineerscan programthesystemtoincludeorexcludeanabnormality-- andtheattendantconversation.

Itsoundsawkward,andtobesure,thespeechrecognition elementhasitshiccups.

Butespeciallyforstudentsrearedinaneraof sophisticatedthree-dimensionalvideogames,thesystem turnsouttobesurprisinglyconvincing.Theresearchers havetesteditonabout100medicalstudentssofar,all fromtheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia,whereco-principal investigatorDr.D.ScottLindisbased.Oneoftheirmost consistentandprominentfindings:Studentsdonothesitate toexpressempathytoJones.

"Wehavefoundthattheywilltrytocomfortthevirtual human,"Kotranzasaid."They'lloftentouchthemannequinin ordertocomforther." Apilotstudyhasconcludedthatstudentswhopracticed withamixedrealtyhumanimprovedtheircommunication skillsandtheirtechnicalabilities,butmoretrialsare neededtodeterminewhetherthoseskillspersistoncethe studentsexaminerealpatients.

Thatsaid,itseemsobviousthatmorepracticestudents get,thebetterofftheywillbe.Loksaidthemixedreality patientisnotintendedtoreplacerealvolunteers-far fromit.Butstudentstypicallyhaveonlyahandfulof opportunitieswiththosevolunteersbeforegraduating.The mixedrealitypatientcanaddtotheirtrainingwhilemaking iteasierforteacherstohelpstudentswithboththeir conversationalandmedicaltechniques.

"Whathappensifyoufindsomethinginawoman'sbreast? Howdoyoutalktothepatient?"Lokasked."Studentshave tosomehowbuildtheirdatabaseofexperience." Whilethebreastexamresearchcontinues,theteamalso intendstoexploreotherintimateexams.Nextinline: prostateexams.Lokandthestudentsalreadyhave prostheticstheyintendtocouplewithavirtualmale patientsimilartothebreastexampatient.

Theotherinstitutionsparticipatingintheprojectare theUniversityofCentralFlorida,theUniversityofGeorgia andNorthwesternUniversity.Theresearch,partofalarger effortinvolvinganumberofdifferentvirtualpatient projects,issupportedbygrantsofabout$2.8million primarilyfromtheNationalScienceFoundationandthe NationalInstitutesofHealth.

---- CONTACTS: Writer:AaronHoover,352-392-0186,ahoover@ufl.edu Source:BenjaminLok,352-392-1492,lok@cise.ufl.edu MULTIMEDIAAVAILABLE: http://news.ufl.edu/2009/06/23/mixed-reality-human-multimedia/ ((AScribe-ThePublicInterestNewswire/http://www.ascribe.org))

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