Presentation
XR Marks the Spot: Leveraging Military and Professional Healthcare Training Techniques for Lay-Providers
DescriptionAs advancements in augmented, virtual, and mixed-reality technologies continue to evolve, the application of these extended-reality (XR) tools for training, education, and simulation purposes necessitates ongoing investigation and evaluation. One such area is the application of XR technologies to the education and certification of civilian lay-provider populations in basic medical techniques such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED) use, and the administration of first aid. The application of XR technologies for the training of these and other medical procedures has already been explored and is actively being implemented within military populations as a component of tactical combat casualty care training (Leuze et al., 2021; Rabotin et al., 2023 ; Taylor et al., 2018), in addition to professional healthcare populations across both in-hospital and pre-hospital settings (Friedman et al., 2023; Hein, 2017; Iqbal et al., 2024; Yoo et al., 2024; Zhang et al., 2025).
Given existing applications of XR technologies in military and professional healthcare populations, recent movements toward the application of XR technologies in civilian lay-provider populations (Azimi et al., 2018; Ricci et al., 2022), and past incidents of procedural and training transfers between these various populations and settings (e.g., adoption of tourniquets, proliferation of Stop the Bleed trainings, exploration of handoff techniques, etc.) (Fausset et al., 2024; Lee et al., 2007; Na et al., 2025; Public Safety Group, 2025), further investigations of XR-based training interventions for civilian lay-provider populations are warranted. This is further reinforced by recent trends of expanding e-learning materials and remote training opportunities by civilian training agencies, such as the American Red Cross (2025), American Heart Association (2025), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (2025). As a result, this work provides a brief overview of insights from the literature surrounding XR technologies in military and professional healthcare training programs.
Key benefits identified from examinations of the military and healthcare domains’ XR training technologies include the opportunity for (1) more interactive simulation/training scenarios, (2) embedded performance monitoring and integrated feedback, (3) team-based interventions, (4) more standardized and consistent scenarios, and (5) more resource-efficient learning. Despite these benefits, challenges remain, including (1) usability difficulties, (2) ergonomic and anthropometric discomfort, (3) technical limitations, (4) limited systemic integration, and (5) a lack of resources surrounding impact and implementation. Based on these insights, recommendations regarding future research into the use of XR technologies for the training of civilian lay-provider populations in basic medical techniques include exploring (1) physical and cognitive fidelity requirements, (2) accessibility and anthropometric concerns, and (3) training impacts across different skills & settings. Furthermore, practical considerations for civilian training agencies and practitioners endeavoring to implement these tools include (1) evaluating equipment substitutions and alternatives, (2) implementing remote and/or asynchronous training opportunities, and (3) targeting a variety of care contexts. One additional recommendation worthy of mention, with respect to both future research and practical considerations, is the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in XR systems moving forward. As AI-based software and programs are integrated into XR technologies, additional research into how to do so in a safe, robust, and truthful way is necessary (Qayyum et al., 2023), especially given the potential consequences of misimplementation. These same issues will likely come into play as practical concerns regarding individuals' willingness to use or trust in feedback from these systems. Evaluating how best to manage these concerns will ultimately depend on the combination of resources available to the instructors and civilian training agencies seeking to implement XR training with AI-based systems.
While the evolution of XR tools, for the purposes of training, education, and simulation, is still being actively explored and evaluated within military and professional healthcare domains, leveraging these works for the advancement of education in basic medical techniques for civilian lay-provider populations is a natural progression of these efforts and contributes toward the strengthening of the healthcare system as a whole.
Given existing applications of XR technologies in military and professional healthcare populations, recent movements toward the application of XR technologies in civilian lay-provider populations (Azimi et al., 2018; Ricci et al., 2022), and past incidents of procedural and training transfers between these various populations and settings (e.g., adoption of tourniquets, proliferation of Stop the Bleed trainings, exploration of handoff techniques, etc.) (Fausset et al., 2024; Lee et al., 2007; Na et al., 2025; Public Safety Group, 2025), further investigations of XR-based training interventions for civilian lay-provider populations are warranted. This is further reinforced by recent trends of expanding e-learning materials and remote training opportunities by civilian training agencies, such as the American Red Cross (2025), American Heart Association (2025), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (2025). As a result, this work provides a brief overview of insights from the literature surrounding XR technologies in military and professional healthcare training programs.
Key benefits identified from examinations of the military and healthcare domains’ XR training technologies include the opportunity for (1) more interactive simulation/training scenarios, (2) embedded performance monitoring and integrated feedback, (3) team-based interventions, (4) more standardized and consistent scenarios, and (5) more resource-efficient learning. Despite these benefits, challenges remain, including (1) usability difficulties, (2) ergonomic and anthropometric discomfort, (3) technical limitations, (4) limited systemic integration, and (5) a lack of resources surrounding impact and implementation. Based on these insights, recommendations regarding future research into the use of XR technologies for the training of civilian lay-provider populations in basic medical techniques include exploring (1) physical and cognitive fidelity requirements, (2) accessibility and anthropometric concerns, and (3) training impacts across different skills & settings. Furthermore, practical considerations for civilian training agencies and practitioners endeavoring to implement these tools include (1) evaluating equipment substitutions and alternatives, (2) implementing remote and/or asynchronous training opportunities, and (3) targeting a variety of care contexts. One additional recommendation worthy of mention, with respect to both future research and practical considerations, is the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in XR systems moving forward. As AI-based software and programs are integrated into XR technologies, additional research into how to do so in a safe, robust, and truthful way is necessary (Qayyum et al., 2023), especially given the potential consequences of misimplementation. These same issues will likely come into play as practical concerns regarding individuals' willingness to use or trust in feedback from these systems. Evaluating how best to manage these concerns will ultimately depend on the combination of resources available to the instructors and civilian training agencies seeking to implement XR training with AI-based systems.
While the evolution of XR tools, for the purposes of training, education, and simulation, is still being actively explored and evaluated within military and professional healthcare domains, leveraging these works for the advancement of education in basic medical techniques for civilian lay-provider populations is a natural progression of these efforts and contributes toward the strengthening of the healthcare system as a whole.
Authors
Event Type
Oral Presentations
TimeWednesday, March 259:15am - 9:37am EDT
LocationMorgan
Simulation and Education