Mohammad F. Obeid

The increasing complexity of healthcare delivery and the advancements in medical technology have highlighted the necessity for improved training in nursing education. While traditional training methods have their merits, they often encounter challenges such as limited access to clinical placements, static physical simulations, and performance anxiety during hands-on practice. Virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly adopted for immersive and interactive training environments, allowing nursing students to practice essential skills repeatedly in realistic, risk-free settings. This study presents NursingXR, a VR-based platform designed to help nursing students master essential clinical skills. With a scalable and flexible architecture, NursingXR is tailored to support a variety of nursing lessons and adapt to evolving curricula. The platform has a modular design and offers two interactive modes: Training Mode, which provides step-by-step guided instruction, and Evaluation Mode, which allows for independent performance assessment. This article details the development process of the platform, including key design principles, system architecture, and implementation strategies, while emphasizing its utility and scalability. A mixed-methods evaluation involving 78 participants—both novices and experts—was conducted to evaluate the platform’s usability and user satisfaction. The results underscore NursingXR’s effectiveness in fostering an effective and engaging learning environment as well as its potential as a supplementary resource for nursing training.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many universities worldwide to adopt distance learning, creating a significant gap in hands-on skills training, particularly in health and nursing education. To address this challenge, this study presents the analysis and design of a virtual reality (VR) application, NursingXR, developed to support training of students in performing procedures related to the fundamentals of nursing labs in undergraduate programs. The study proposes a hybrid approach that utilizes the multimedia development life cycle (MDLC) alongside hierarchical task analysis (HTA) and unified modeling language (UML) diagrams to provide developers with essential information for implementing NursingXR. A prototype was developed as a validation step, based on the analysis, design and data/material collection phases. Additionally, interviews with nursing instructors were conducted to explore how the platform can complement traditional learning and training modules. The findings indicate that the proposed approach is effective for developing VR applications in the healthcare domain.

The field of nursing is no stranger to the use of simulation and training systems for education and skill acquisition. Virtual reality (VR) has been utilized as an immersive learning environment (ILV) for many years as it facilitates repetitive training, scenario introduction, and information retention with no disturbance of the real system/clinic. In this work, the development of an ILV for fundamentals of nursing laboratory courses is presented. The project is carried out cross-institutionally to create a modular platform that allows the continuous addition of VR modules for nursing and medical procedures. An initial user study is conducted with faculty and senior nursing students hypothesizing the utility of this platform for efficient, scalable, and effective training; as well as investigating development decisions related to user interface design and user experience.

Information about the paper titled "ASSESSMENT OF ADHD TRAITS VIA STIMULI-TARGETED VIRTUAL REALITY" at IATED Digital Library

Immersive technology platforms such as virtual reality (VR) are used by many to create experiences that allow for efficient training, visceral encounters, and faithful reproduction of places and times. This work investigates the various elements that contribute to the design of an effective immersive experience and proposes a taxonomy that establishes levels (ranks) for each of these elements.

Objective: This work presents the development and validation of an interactive simulation training platform for the minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum, otherwise known as the Nuss procedure. Methods: The challenges and implications of developing both an all-virtual and an all-physical version of the simulator are investigated in a training context. A hybrid system is then developed that integrates virtual and physical constituents and a haptic interface to reproduce the primary steps of the procedure and to satisfy clinically relevant prerequisites for its training system. Furthermore, this work carries out a study to investigate the system's face, content, and construct validity. Results: Objective and subjective evaluations of the system demonstrate its utility for surgical training and establish various levels of its validity. Conclusion: A hybrid virtual/physical configuration of the trainer can efficiently and realistically reproduce the primary steps of the procedure. Significance: Outside of this work, a simulation and training platform for the Nuss procedure is not available. This system was developed in close collaboration with the pioneers of this surgical technique.

Monitoring the progress of therapeutic treatment is paramount to its success and to the patient's quality-of-life. An efficient, cost-effective, and accurate assessment of the treatment's progress that illustrates its tangible impact can motivate patients and guide the procedure. This work discusses such an assessment tool for both surgical and nonsurgical interventions to correct pectus excavatum – the most common chest wall deformity. The developed instrument utilizes optical scanning and registration techniques to provide an accurate evaluation of the improvement over the course of treatment. In this paper, a prospective study is conducted to report on and establish the validity of the instrument after deploying it for clinical use. Statistical tests are used to study the utility of the system in a clinical setting.

"Optical scanning has proven to be advantageous to objectively assess the severity of chest wall deformities and the effectiveness of its treatment. By potentially eliminating the need for computed tomography (CT) scanning and superseding manual measurements that are subject to errors, a system that utilizes optical scanning presents great value to patients and practitioners. This work aims to investigate and evaluate the performance of two off-the-shelf optical scanning sensors in the context of their utility and accuracy to measure the severity of chest wall deformities. An in-vitro experiment and a human study are conducted utilizing both sensors to collect data and report the findings."

Robert E. Kelly Jr., M.D., Robert J. Obermeyer, M.D., M. Ann Kuhn, M.D., Frazier W. Frantz, M.D., Mohammad F. Obeid, Nahom Kidane, and Frederic D. McKenzie. Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018;51:390-4. https://doi.org/10.5090/kjtcs.2018.51.6.390