Creation Of Animations For This Case
Details contained in the operative report as well as the pre-op and post-op films were complex . A full-color 3D animation was created to visually communicate the key steps that were involved to repair the femoral injury , allowing the viewer to readily understand the intricacy of the surgery , the incisions that were made ( and stapled closed ) and the hardware inserted into Mr . Ngo ’ s leg .
Figure 4 : Still frames from animation demonstrating ankle surgery to repair a fracture .
The Picture Superiority Effect
Figure 3 : Still frames from an animation demonstrating the details of a femoral fracture repair surgery .
A similar animation was created to demonstrate repair of a “… transverse medial malleolus fracture with [ comminution ] of the anterior medial aspect of the mortise ” in a straightforward , understandable manner .
Much has been written about how visuals are better at helping people remember information . This is called the pictorial superiority effect ( Snodgrass 1977 , Maisto 1992 , etc .), and indicates people are more likely to recall information presented to them in picture format than in text or verbal format .
Retaining complex medical information relies on working memory , which has limited capacity . Visual stimuli are processed more efficiently , and retained and retrieved from memory more effectively , than verbal stimuli . Due to this , visually explaining the medical record is critical in any case where a significant amount of unfamiliar information is being discussed — such as in a trial that involves medical issues .
This principle was applied for the creation of the animations for this case . For example , details in the OR note were far too complex for the jury to understand , let alone retain them .