{
  "abstract": "Background: The teaching of anatomy is often perceived as one of the most challenging components of medical education. Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a transformative educational tool. These applications superimpose digital information onto the physical world, offering students interactive, immersive experiences for understanding complex anatomical structures. This research investigates medical students’ perceptions and self-reported use of AR applications on smartphones to assess medical students’ familiarity with AR technology, engagement levels, usability challenges, and preferences between AR and traditional learning methods.\n\nMethods: A descriptive cross-sectional study and a structured questionnaire were employed to collect data from medical students at Fatima Memorial College of Medicine & Dentistry (FMHCM&D), Lahore, Pakistan. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 27.00, employing descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Kruskal–Wallis (with Shapiro–Wilk and Dunn’s post hoc, Bonferroni) was used to examine associations between the variables.\n\nResults: This study surveyed 496 medical students from FMHCM&D, Lahore, Pakistan. The mean age of participants was 21.33 ± 1.66 years. 32% were males and 68% were females. One hundred and forty-two of 638 consenting students (22.3%) had no prior AR app use and were removed before data entry. Whereas 77.7% (496/638) reported prior use of AR apps. Only 70% of students agreed about the frequent use of AR apps. 31% did not experience general usability difficulties (e.g., navigation problems), but 46.8% reported performance issues (e.g., app crashes, slow running, or battery drain) while using AR applications. These apps were perceived by 76.4% of students as helpful for securing good marks in anatomy, and 70% agreed that AR apps reduced their reliance on traditional learning methods. Furthermore, 81.7% of students agreed that AR enhanced their enjoyment of learning anatomy.\n\nConclusion: The findings of this study suggest that medical students perceive AR as a valuable tool that enhances their engagement and enjoyment, highlighting the need for controlled, outcome-based research to establish AR’s actual impact on teaching methodology.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Community Medicine, Fatima Memorial College of Medicine & Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan",
    "Fatima Memorial College of Medicine & Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan",
    "Central Park Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shamaila Hassnain"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Muhammad Usama Bin Ali"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Aleeha Chaudhry"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Hanzala Shahid"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ahmad Asfand Yar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zarnab Shaukat"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Amna Choudary"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Fatima Ali"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Amna Hassnain"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fe3sbe4ppn90g.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.1957490",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13696490/",
  "id": "fe3sbe4ppn90g",
  "issns": [
    "2296-2565"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1957490",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1707|Augmented Reality Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221522728",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13696490?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13696490",
  "pmid": "42936016",
  "published": "2026-10-12",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fe3sbe4ppn90g.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:50Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13696490",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1957490"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.1957490",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1957490/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:24Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42936016",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42936016"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:2296-2565",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Use of augmented reality applications on smartphones as a tool for anatomy learning: perceptions of medical college students in Pakistan",
  "title_text": "Use of augmented reality applications on smartphones as a tool for anatomy learning: perceptions of medical college students in Pakistan",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fe3sbe4ppn90g",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Public Health",
  "versions": []
}