Development of an Auscultation Simulator Using Social Virtual Reality

Abstract

Auscultation is one of the basic techniques in physical assessment, in which a stethoscope is used to listen to sounds inside the body to determine the patient's condition. Pulmonary auscultation is one of the most frequently performed tasks by nurses, but many nurses have difficulty with auscultation. In pulmonary auscultation, it is necessary to distinguish between breath sounds and adventitious sounds. Since only breath sounds can be heard from able-bodied persons, mannequintype auscultation simulators are used to listen to lung sounds in various pathological conditions. Mannequin-type auscultation simulators are expensive, so the number of mannequins and the places where they can be used is limited. This study aims to develop an auscultation simulator using a social virtual reality (social VR) platform. Social VR has the advantages of being easy to use as long as there is a PC connected to the network, and of facilitating learning while people in remote locations communicate with each other.