Virtual reality can't yet teach the 'feel' of medicine, Israeli study finds

While virtual reality and digital simulations are increasingly sophisticated in teaching anatomy, procedures, and decision-making, they fall short in imparting a crucial aspect of medical training: tacit learning. This refers to the unwritten "know-how", clinical intuition, surgical dexterity, and bedside manner, that is difficult to articulate but vital for effective practice.

A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI), published in Nature Medicine, posits that this experiential knowledge, acquired through direct observation and hands-on practice, remains challenging to digitize. The research, led by Prof. Orly Lewis, turned to an unlikely source, the writings of the Roman physician Galen, who lived 19 centuries ago, to understand how such knowledge was transmitted historically.

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What Galen’s dissections reveal about tacit learning in modern medical education

The study highlights that written instructions and digital tools alone cannot replace the physical intuition and nuanced judgment physicians develop through real-life, mentored practice. This includes subtle skills like knowing the right amount of pressure to apply during a procedure, sensing tissue density, or understanding when to stop. The researchers advocate for identifying and integrating these unspoken, tacit elements into the design of future digital pedagogical tools to better meet the actual needs of clinical skill acquisition.

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medical knowledge has never been transmitted by words or images alone.