Perception and knowledge of learners about the use of 3D technologies in manual therapy education – a qualitative study

Kesava Kovanur Sampath; Ashokan Arumugam; Esra Yaghi; Emma Fairs; Patrea Andersen

doi:10.1186/s12909-023-04497-6

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Perception and knowledge of learners about the use of 3D technologies in manual therapy education – a qualitative study

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Perception and knowledge of learners about the use of 3D technologies in manual therapy education – a qualitative study

Kesava Kovanur Sampath, Ashokan Arumugam, Esra Yaghi, Emma Fairs and Patrea Andersen

BMC Medical Education, Vol.23(1), pp.1-18

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04497-6

PMCID: PMC10351149

PMID: 37461000

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Abstract

3D technology

Education

Manual therapy

Osteopathy

Physiotherapy

Virtual reality

Objectives: Manual therapy is a specific hands-on approach used and taught by various professions such as physiotherapy and osteopathy. The current paradigm of teaching manual therapy incorporates the traditional ‘See one, do one, teach one’ approach. However, this ‘teacher centred’ approach may not enable learners to develop the complex clinical skills of manual therapy. In this context, 3D technologies such as virtual reality may facilitate the teaching and learning of manual therapy. Hence the aim of the current study was to investigate the perception, knowledge and attitude of manual therapy learners about the use of 3D technologies in manual therapy education. Methods: An exploratory qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews was used in this study. A total of ten manual therapy (5 physiotherapy and 5 osteopathic) students (mean age = 32; 80% female) enrolled in an appropriate physiotherapy or osteopathic degree provided by a New Zealand recognized institution (e.g., university or polytechnic) participated in this study. Data saturation was achieved after 10 interviews (average duration: 35 min) that provided thick data. A thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Results: Six factors were identified which appeared to influence participants’ perception of role of technology in manual therapy education. These were (1) the sufficiency of current teaching method; (2) evolution as a learner (a novice to an expert); (3) need for objectivity; (4) tutor feedback; (5) knowledge and (6) barriers and enablers. These six factors influenced the participants’ perception about the role of 3D technologies in manual therapy education with participants evidently taking two distinct/polarized positions (‘no role’ (techstatic) versus a ‘complete role’ (techsavvy)). Conclusion: Although 3D technology may not replace face-to-face teaching, it may be used to complement the traditional approach of learning/teaching to facilitate the learning of complex skills according to the perceptions of manual therapy learners in our study. The advantage of such an approach is an area of future research.

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Title: Perception and knowledge of learners about the use of 3D technologies in manual therapy education – a qualitative study
Authors: Kesava Kovanur Sampath (Corresponding Author) - Waikato Institute of Technology
Ashokan Arumugam (Author) - University of Sharjah
Esra Yaghi (Author) - Waikato Institute of Technology
Emma Fairs (Author) - Ara Institute of Canterbury
Patrea Andersen (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nursing
Publication details: BMC Medical Education, Vol.23(1), pp.1-18
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd.
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04497-6
ISSN: 1472-6920
PMID: 37461000; PMC10351149
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Grant note: Waikato Institute of Technology
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine - Legacy; Engage Research Lab
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99741796202621
Output Type: Journal article

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