Examining Physical Therapy Students' Subjective Mastery of Simulated Clinical Practice Using Smart Glasses to Share Teacher's Visual Field Information.

Objectives: Physical therapy education depends on hands-on training. However, the COVID-19 pandemic limited face-to-face demonstrations. This study considers the use of smart glasses, devices that allow real-time information sharing from remote locations. We investigated the efficacy of teachers' use of smart glasses during a class on students' subjective mastery of applying neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). Methods: 119 second-grade students from the physical therapy department were randomly divided into three groups: smart glasses demonstration combined with video watching (smart glasses, Results: In terms of NMES mastery, 85% of students in the smart glasses group scored the highest, followed by 82% in the face-to-face group and 64% in the video only group. The smart glasses group found it significantly easier to view the device's operating screen during the demonstration than the face-to-face group. Conversely, concentration, and ease of asking questions were significantly higher in the face-to-face group than the smart glasses group. Conclusions: NMES education using smart glasses could be as effective as face-to-face demonstrations in promoting students' subjective mastery, but further actions are needed to compensate for the shortcomings.