Medical Holography for Basic Anatomy Training

The conceptualization of three-dimensional (3D) images within the human brain is a difficult task requiring extensive use of the brain’s working memory. In the medical education community, this problem is particularly prevalent due to the complex 3D structures inherent in human anatomy. One potential solution to this problem is to present medical content in 3D dimensions rather than 2D or 2.5D. In doing so, the trainee would no longer be burdened with the additional cognitive load imposed during conversion of a 2/2.5D representation to a 3D representation within working memory. A unique technological solution to achieve this uses holography to present the medical content. Holography allows the user to view fully parallax, auto-stereoscopic 3D images. Within this research effort, static, full-color holograms were created depicting medical content. A study was conducted involving two groups of students presented with medical content in either a traditional format via textbook handouts or through holography. Cognitive load analysis was performed to determine if a difference in cognitive effort was experienced while using holography. A usability study was conducted to evaluate hologram performance and collect user experience metrics during the trial. This paper will discuss in detail the results of the experiment including the cognitive load analysis, the usability evaluation, performance trends, and lessons learned.