Effect of Mobile Augmented Reality Counseling on Improving Shared Decision-Making in Thoracic Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Crossover Trial.

Background: Augmented reality (AR) superimposes virtual objects onto the real-world environment, allowing users to interact in real-time. Since AR has become widely used, it also leverages the efficiency advantages of smartphones or tablets to enable mobile augmented reality (MAR) experiences. AR has been adopted in many industries, and literature has highlighted its applications in academic and clinical settings, particularly for enhancing visualization, communication, and learning.

Objective: This study investigates the potential of mobile augmented reality as mHealth tools to enhance shared decision-making (SDM) in thoracic surgery by increasing patient understanding and engagement during medical consultations.

Methods: A randomized crossover clinical trial was conducted at Tri-Service General Hospital in Taiwan. Participants scheduled for thoracic surgery were enrolled and randomized in a crossover design. The MAR intervention incorporated patient-specific three-dimensional (3D) anatomical models that were reconstructed from CT imaging to facilitate understanding and support SDM. The impact of each counseling approach on SDM was evaluated using post-intervention questionnaires.

Results: A total of forty-seven participants were effectively incorporated into the research. After analyzing the data, we found that patients in the MAR group showed significantly higher scores compared to those in the traditional counseling group (p < 0.05) during the SDM process. Moreover, patients reported higher satisfaction levels and found the visual objects helpful in understanding tumor location and surgical procedures.

Conclusions: The study demonstrates that MAR counseling significantly enhances patients' comprehension of thoracic conditions and increases their active engagement in the SDM process. The integration of patient-specific 3D anatomical models into MAR technology provided an intuitive method for critical medical information. This digital approach not only enhances personalization in medical communication but also reinforces patient education in their own healthcare conditions. The findings suggest that MAR counseling represents a promising approach for promoting patient-centered care in thoracic surgery and has potential applications across various clinical domains.

Clinicaltrial: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT07062393. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07062393.