A Study of Applications of 3D Animation for Emergency Medicine Pedagogy

Zheng, Huilong. M.S., Purdue University, August 2016. A Study of Applications of 3D Animation for Emergency Medicine Pedagogy. Major Professor: Nicoletta AdamoVillani. There is ample precedent for the use of 3D animation in education, though little research on specific applications in the field of medicine. An experiment was carried out to assess the suitability of 3D animation for educational purposes in emergency medicine courses. Two groups of experimental participants were assessed on their ability to respond to three emergency medical situations in simulated test scenarios. Both groups received equivalent information on how to treat the three different medical emergencies. The control group received the information in traditional lecture format. The experimental group instead received the information from a set of 3D animations. Participants were assessed according to the speed and accuracy with which they administered proper treatment as well as their ability to complete every step of treatment and to execute these steps in the correct order. The 3D animation and lecture groups were not generally found to score differently from a statistical perspective. Possible causes are provided.