Evaluation of Remote Surgical Hands-on Training in Veterinary Education Using a Hololens Mixed Reality Head-Mounted Display

Conferencing system-assisted online classes have been conducted worldwide since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the use of three-dimensional glasses may improve pre-clinical veterinary education. However, students' satisfaction with this technique rather than their ability to perform surgery using these items has not been assessed. This study could potentially assess students' satisfaction with technique/instruction rather than their ability to perform surgery using these items.This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of remote online hands-on training in veterinary education using 3D glasses. Sixty students enrolled at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicineat Yamaguchi University voluntarily participated and were randomly divided into a 3D glasses and tablet group, each with 30 students. Each student completed one orthopedic and one ophthalmological task. The orthopedic task was performing surgery on a limb model, whereas the ophthalmological task involved incising a cornea on an eye model. The 3D glasses group participated in the ophthalmology task, then the orthopedic task, at a separate venue from the instructor. The tablet group participated in the same tasks using a tablet. In the student questionnaire, orthopedic screw fixation showed significantly higher levels of satisfaction in the 3D glasses group than in the tablet group, indicating a preference for this method. By contrast, for ophthalmic corneal suturing, the tablet group showed a significantly higher level of satisfaction than the 3D glasses group. Our findings showed that 3D glasses have a high educational value in practical training requiring depth and angle information.