Virtual Reality for Emergency Medicine Training in Medical School: Prospective, Large-Cohort Implementation Study

Abstract

Background Virtual reality (VR)–based simulation is being increasingly used to train medical students in emergency medicine. However, because the usefulness of VR may depend on various factors, the best practices for implementing this technology in the medical school curriculum are yet to be determined. Objective The overall objective of our study was to assess the perceptions of a large cohort of students toward VR-based training and to identify the associations between these attitudes and individual factors, such as gender and age. Methods The authors implemented a voluntary, VR-based teaching session in the emergency medicine course at the Medical Faculty in Tübingen, Germany. Fourth-year medical students were invited to participate on a voluntary basis. Afterward, we asked the students about their perceptions, collected data on individual factors, and assessed the test scores achieved by them in the VR-based assessment scenarios. We used ordinal regression analysis and linear mixed-effects analysis to detect the impact of individual factors on the questionnaire answers. Results A total of 129 students participated in our study (mean age 24.7, SD 2.9 years; n=51, 39.8% male; n=77, 60.2% female). No student had previously used VR for learning, and only 4.7% (n=6) of the students had prior experience with VR. Most of the students agreed that VR can convey complex issues quickly (n=117, 91%), that VR is a useful addition to mannequin-based courses (n=114, 88%) or could even replace them (n=93, 72%), and that VR simulations should also be used for examinations (n=103, 80%). However, female students showed significantly less agreement with these statements. Most students perceived the VR scenario as realistic (n=69, 53%) and intuitive (n=62, 48%), with a relatively lower agreement for the latter among female respondents. We found high agreement among all participants (n=88, 69%) for immersion but strong disagreement (n=69, 54%) for empathy with the virtual patient. Only 3% (n=4) of the students felt confident regarding the medical content. Responses for the linguistic aspects of the scenario were largely mixed; however, most of the students were confident with the English language (not native) scenarios and disagreed that the scenario should be offered in their native language (female students agreed more strongly than male students). Most of the students would not have felt confident with the scenarios in a real-world context (n=69, 53%). Although physical symptoms during VR sessions were reported by 16% (n=21) of the respondents, this did not lead to the termination of the simulation. The regression analysis revealed that the final test scores were not influenced by gender, age, or prior experience in emergency medicine or with virtual reality. Conclusions In this study, we observed a strong positive attitude in medical students toward VR-based teaching and assessment. However, this positivity was comparatively lower among female students, potentially indicating that gender differences need to be addressed when VR is implemented in the curriculum. Interestingly, gender, age, or prior experience did not influence the final test scores. Furthermore, confidence regarding the medical content was low, which suggests that the students may need further training in emergency medicine.

Interprofessional Team Training With Virtual Reality: Acceptance, Learning Outcome, and Feasibility Evaluation Study

“…Instead, the use of a specific tool such as the Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire may provide more accurate results [ 51 ]. In both measures, VR-induced sickness and usability, we observed a gender difference, namely that men rated usability higher and reported less VR-induced sickness, and this is consistent with findings from other studies [ 52 53 ].…”

Interprofessional Team Training With Virtual Reality: Acceptance, Learning Outcome, and Feasibility Evaluation Study

“…Instead, the use of a specific tool such as the Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire may provide more accurate results [ 51 ]. In both measures, VR-induced sickness and usability, we observed a gender difference, namely that men rated usability higher and reported less VR-induced sickness, and this is consistent with findings from other studies [ 52 53 ].…”

Implementation and Analysis of a Fully Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Emergency Training in a Surgical Curriculum

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The Contemporary Role of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Radiation Oncology: A Review

“…Recent publications have claimed benefits across a wide range of healthcare disciplines, including nursing, physiotherapy and medicine—providing tailored learning opportunities for students and practicing professionals alike [ 8 ]. For example, in emergency medicine, virtual reality simulations can recreate high-pressure scenarios such as cardiac arrest, allowing trainees to practice critical decision-making, teamwork, and resuscitation techniques without risk to real patients [ 9 ]. Moreover, VR training is often more efficient than traditional simulation labs, which require dedicated rooms with clinical simulation mannequins and the presence of multiple instructors to provide real-time feedback.…”

Interprofessional Team Training With Virtual Reality: Acceptance, Learning Outcome, and Feasibility Evaluation Study

“…Instead, the use of a specific tool such as the Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire may provide more accurate results [ 51 ]. In both measures, VR-induced sickness and usability, we observed a gender difference, namely that men rated usability higher and reported less VR-induced sickness, and this is consistent with findings from other studies [ 52 53 ].…”

Implementation and Analysis of a Fully Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Emergency Training in a Surgical Curriculum

“……”

“……”

The Contemporary Role of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Radiation Oncology: A Review

“…Recent publications have claimed benefits across a wide range of healthcare disciplines, including nursing, physiotherapy and medicine—providing tailored learning opportunities for students and practicing professionals alike [ 8 ]. For example, in emergency medicine, virtual reality simulations can recreate high-pressure scenarios such as cardiac arrest, allowing trainees to practice critical decision-making, teamwork, and resuscitation techniques without risk to real patients [ 9 ]. Moreover, VR training is often more efficient than traditional simulation labs, which require dedicated rooms with clinical simulation mannequins and the presence of multiple instructors to provide real-time feedback.…”

Interprofessional Team Training With Virtual Reality: Acceptance, Learning Outcome, and Feasibility Evaluation Study

“…Instead, the use of a specific tool such as the Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire may provide more accurate results [ 51 ]. In both measures, VR-induced sickness and usability, we observed a gender difference, namely that men rated usability higher and reported less VR-induced sickness, and this is consistent with findings from other studies [ 52 53 ].…”

Implementation and Analysis of a Fully Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Emergency Training in a Surgical Curriculum

“……”

“……”

The Contemporary Role of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Radiation Oncology: A Review

“…Recent publications have claimed benefits across a wide range of healthcare disciplines, including nursing, physiotherapy and medicine—providing tailored learning opportunities for students and practicing professionals alike [ 8 ]. For example, in emergency medicine, virtual reality simulations can recreate high-pressure scenarios such as cardiac arrest, allowing trainees to practice critical decision-making, teamwork, and resuscitation techniques without risk to real patients [ 9 ]. Moreover, VR training is often more efficient than traditional simulation labs, which require dedicated rooms with clinical simulation mannequins and the presence of multiple instructors to provide real-time feedback.…”