Enhanced Total Hip Arthroplasty Education Using Augmented Reality: A Survey From a Tertiary Center

Background:

For total hip arthroplasty (THA), a new technology in the evolution of computer-assisted surgery has emerged in the form of augmented reality (AR). We sought to determine the impact of AR on resident and fellow education after implementation at an academic teaching center.

Materials and Methods:

The senior author's intraoperative technique allows for the orthopedic trainee to use AR to correct the acetabular component's position after an attempt is made with standard instrumentation. One year after the implementation of this AR method, both resident and fellow trainees were issued an anonymous survey regarding their experience and descriptive statistics were calculated for the results.

Results:

Sixteen trainees responded to the survey. One hundred percent felt the use of AR improved their understanding of acetabular component placement and improved their intraoperative experience. Sixty-nine percent reported feeling there was a small increase in operative time but 25% reported no increase in operative time when using AR. Seventy-five percent of trainees felt that patients benefited from the technology and would be in favor of AR if they were having a THA. The majority of those surveyed reported a desire to use AR in their practice if it is available.

Conclusion:

Computer-assisted surgery has demonstrated variable impacts on orthopedic education. After the implementation of AR at an academic teaching center, all trainees reported it improved their intraoperative experience and their understanding of acetabular component placement. Further studies are needed to determine if AR is able to improve a trainee's component placement. [Orthopedics. 202x;4x(x):xx–xx.]