Background Sufficient public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) is the key factor in effectively responding to and recovering from major emerging infectious diseases (MEIDs). However, in the face of MEIDs, PHEP is insufficient, so it is necessary to improve PHEP. The rapid development of virtual reality and human-computer interaction provides unprecedented opportunities for innovative educational methods. Objective This study designed a virtual reality interactive training system (VRITS) to provide an effective path for improving PHEP in the context of MEIDs so that the public can effectively respond to and recover from MEIDs. Methods This study used interactive narrative, situated learning and human-computer interaction theories as a theoretical framework to guide the design of the system. We used the literature research method and the Delphi method; consulted multidisciplinary experts, such as infectious diseases, disease control, psychology, and public health personnel, to determine the educational content framework; and set up an interdisciplinary team to construct an operating system framework for the VRITS. Results We named the VRITS “People’s War Against Pandemic.” The educational content framework includes 20 knowledge, emotion, and behavior skills in 5 aspects (cooperating with prevention and control work, improving emergency response ability, guaranteeing supplies and equipment, preparing economic resources, and maintaining physical and mental health). The operating system framework includes virtual interactive training, knowledge corner, intelligent evaluation, and community forum modules, and the core module is the virtual interactive training module. In this module, users control virtual characters to move in various scenes, and then identify and analyze the controllability and harmfulness of the evolving pandemic and select the correct prevention and control strategy to avoid infecting themselves and others. Conclusions The development and sharing of the multidisciplinary theoretical framework adopted by People’s War Against Pandemic can help us clarify the design ideas and assumptions of the VRITS; predict training results; understand the ability of training to change emergency knowledge, emergency emotion, and behavioral responses to MEIDs; and promote the development of more effective training systems based on virtual reality.
BACKGROUND Sufficient emergency preparedness is the key factor to respond effectively and recover from major emergent infectious diseases (MEID). However, in the face of MEID, public emergency preparedness is insufficient, so it is urgent to improve public emergency preparedness. The rapid development of virtual reality and human-computer interaction provides unprecedented opportunities for innovative education methods. OBJECTIVE To design a virtual reality interactive training system (VRITS) to improve public emergency preparedness under MEID, so that the public can respond effectively and recover from MEID. METHODS This study takes the interactive narrative theory, situated learning theory and human-computer interaction theory as the theoretical framework to guide the design of software. Using literature research method and Delphi method, consulting and interviewing multi-disciplinary experts such as pedagogy, medicine, psychology, public health and computer to determine the educational content framework and operating system framework of the VRITS. RESULTS The VRITS is named the People’s War Against Epidemic. The educational content framework includes 21 knowledge, emotion and behavior skills in six aspects, such as cooperating with prevention and control work, improving basic equipment, ensuring personal safety, preparing economic resources, managing self-emotion, and improving emergency response ability. The operating system framework includes virtual interactive training module, knowledge corner module, intelligent evaluation module and community forum module, and the core module is a virtual interactive training module. In this module, users control the virtual characters to move in various scenes in the community, and then identify and analyze the controllability and harmfulness of the evolving epidemic and selects the correct prevention and control strategy to avoid infection by themselves and others. CONCLUSIONS The People’s War Against Epidemic creates a realistic learning situation for the trainers, enhances the immersion and experience of the trainers, enriches the theoretical system and education resource database of emergency preparedness training under the MEID, and improves the effectiveness, fairness, accessibility and participation of education.
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