Trial reportPloS one2020
Impact of virtual reality anatomy training on ultrasound competency development: A randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 77 citations in OpenAlex.
- Visual-spatial abilities enhancement and spatial anatomy learning: A systematic review.Medical education · 2025Pooled it
- Immersive virtual reality based on head-mounted display in medical education: a systematic review.BMC medical education · 2025Pooled it
- 3D visualization technology for Learning human anatomy among medical students and residents: a meta- and regression analysis.BMC medical education · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of teaching tools in spatial understanding in health science education: a systematic review.Canadian medical education journal · 2023Pooled it
- Learning Outcomes of Immersive Technologies in Health Care Student Education: Systematic Review of the Literature.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Augmedicine: Ultrasound: Training in ultrasound using XR - a randomized controlled trial.BMC medical education · 2026Trial
- Evaluating virtual reality anatomy training for novice anesthesiologists in performing ultrasound-guided brachial plexus blocks: a pilot study.BMC anesthesiology · 2024Trial
- Learning facial muscle anatomy using virtual reality simulation: a randomized controlled study among medical students in Iraq.Advances in simulation (London, England) · 2026Article
- Virtual Reality Versus In-Person Simulation of Sepsis for Medical Students: Randomized Comparative Pilot Study.JMIR medical education · 2026Article
- Three-Dimensional Reconstruction and Navigation Systems in Endoscopic Ultrasound Procedures: A Comprehensive Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Interactive Mixed Reality Simulation Enhances Student Knowledge and Ultrasound Interpretation in Sheep Pregnancy Diagnosis.Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Development and Face and Content Validation of Augmedicine: Ultrasound-An Extended Reality Application for Ultrasound Training.Australasian journal of ultrasound in medicine · 2025Article
- Immersive Extended Reality (I-XR) in Medical and Nursing for Skill Competency and Knowledge Acquisition: A Systematic Review and Implications for Pedagogical Practices.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Teaching methods, facilities, and institutions in student ultrasound education (SUSE): e-learning, simulation, and ultrasound skills labs.Journal of ultrasonography · 2025Review
- Innovations in ultrasound training in obstetrics.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2025Review
- Evaluation of Learner Engagement Following Virtual Reality Augmented Central Line Training.Journal of medical extended reality · 2025Article
- Exploring the dynamics of ultrasound training in medical education: current trends, debates, and approaches to didactics and hands-on learning.BMC medical education · 2024Review
- Effects of undergraduate ultrasound education on cross-sectional image understanding and visual-spatial ability - a prospective study.BMC medical education · 2024Observational
- Frequently Used Conceptual Frameworks and Design Principles for Extended Reality in Health Professions Education.Medical science educator · 2022Article
- Virtual Simulation in Undergraduate Medical Education: A Scoping Review of Recent Practice.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe use of Virtual Reality (VR) in health professions education has increased dramatically in recent years, yet there is limited evidence of its impact on educational outcomes. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of VR anatomy instruction on the ultrasound competency of novice learners participating in a ultrasonography workshop.
methodWe designed a VR-enhanced ultrasonography training program and utilized a plane transection tool to interact with a three-dimensional (3D) VR model of the human body which facilitated the 3D conceptualization of the spatial relationship of anatomical structures, leading to faster and better development of ultrasonographic competency. This was a randomized control study which enrolled third-year medical students (n = 101) without previous exposure to formal or informal ultrasonography training. The participants were randomly divided into an intervention and control group. We assessed participants' competency through ultrasound performance stations on live subjects, we also measured anatomical and ultrasound image identification ability using multiple choice tests.
resultParticipants in the intervention group (median = 16; interquartile 13 to 19) had significantly higher scores in ultrasonography task performance tests than the control group (median = 10; interquartile 7 to 14; Mann-Whitney U = 595; P < 0.01). In sub-group analysis, the intervention group performed significantly better in the six out of ten ultrasound tasks. Participants in the intervention group also had greater improvement in ultrasonographic image identification MCQ tests than the control group (Mann-Whitney U = 914; P < 0.05).
conclusionThis study suggests that VR-enhanced anatomical training could be of significant benefit in ultrasonography training by promoting a better understanding of the spatial relationships of anatomical structures and the development of early psychomotor skills transferable to the handling of ultrasonographic probes.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.