Effectiveness and Utility of Virtual Reality Simulation as an Educational Tool for Safe Performance of COVID-19 Diagnostics: Prospective, Randomized Pilot Trial
BackgroundAlthough the proper use of hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) is paramount for preventing the spread of diseases such as COVID-19, health care personnel have been shown to use incorrect techniques for donning/doffing of PPE and hand hygiene, leading to...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2021-10-01
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| Series: | JMIR Serious Games |
| Online Access: | https://games.jmir.org/2021/4/e29586 |
| _version_ | 1797735694479654912 |
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| author | Tanja Birrenbach Josua Zbinden George Papagiannakis Aristomenis K Exadaktylos Martin Müller Wolf E Hautz Thomas Christian Sauter |
| author_facet | Tanja Birrenbach Josua Zbinden George Papagiannakis Aristomenis K Exadaktylos Martin Müller Wolf E Hautz Thomas Christian Sauter |
| author_sort | Tanja Birrenbach |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundAlthough the proper use of hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) is paramount for preventing the spread of diseases such as COVID-19, health care personnel have been shown to use incorrect techniques for donning/doffing of PPE and hand hygiene, leading to a large number of infections among health professionals. Education and training are difficult owing to the social distancing restrictions in place, shortages of PPE and testing material, and lack of evidence on optimal training. Virtual reality (VR) simulation can offer a multisensory, 3-D, fully immersive, and safe training opportunity that addresses these obstacles.
ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to explore the short- and long-term effectiveness of a fully immersive VR simulation versus a traditional learning method regarding a COVID-19–related skill set and media-specific variables influencing training outcomes.
MethodsThis was a prospective, randomized controlled pilot study on medical students (N=29; intervention VR training, n=15, vs control video-based instruction, n=14) to compare the performance of hand disinfection, nasopharyngeal swab taking, and donning/doffing of PPE before and after training and 1 month later as well as variables of media use.
ResultsBoth groups performed significantly better after training, with the effect sustained over one month. After training, the VR group performed significantly better in taking a nasopharyngeal swab, scoring a median of 14 out of 17 points (IQR 13-15) versus 12 out of 17 points (IQR 11-14) in the control group, P=.03. With good immersion and tolerability of the VR simulation, satisfaction was significantly higher in the VR group compared to the control group (median score of User Satisfaction Evaluation Questionnaire 27/30, IQR 23-28, vs 22/30, IQR 20-24, in the control group; P=.01).
ConclusionsVR simulation was at least as effective as traditional learning methods in training medical students while providing benefits regarding user satisfaction. These results add to the growing body of evidence that VR is a useful tool for acquiring simple and complex clinical skills. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:02:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c578b856756e4b679da9ef6c03f5e2c0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2291-9279 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:02:36Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Serious Games |
| spelling | doaj.art-c578b856756e4b679da9ef6c03f5e2c02023-08-28T19:30:23ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Serious Games2291-92792021-10-0194e2958610.2196/29586Effectiveness and Utility of Virtual Reality Simulation as an Educational Tool for Safe Performance of COVID-19 Diagnostics: Prospective, Randomized Pilot TrialTanja Birrenbachhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3046-0900Josua Zbindenhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1531-4614George Papagiannakishttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2977-9850Aristomenis K Exadaktyloshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2705-5170Martin Müllerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4067-7174Wolf E Hautzhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2445-984XThomas Christian Sauterhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6646-5789 BackgroundAlthough the proper use of hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) is paramount for preventing the spread of diseases such as COVID-19, health care personnel have been shown to use incorrect techniques for donning/doffing of PPE and hand hygiene, leading to a large number of infections among health professionals. Education and training are difficult owing to the social distancing restrictions in place, shortages of PPE and testing material, and lack of evidence on optimal training. Virtual reality (VR) simulation can offer a multisensory, 3-D, fully immersive, and safe training opportunity that addresses these obstacles. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to explore the short- and long-term effectiveness of a fully immersive VR simulation versus a traditional learning method regarding a COVID-19–related skill set and media-specific variables influencing training outcomes. MethodsThis was a prospective, randomized controlled pilot study on medical students (N=29; intervention VR training, n=15, vs control video-based instruction, n=14) to compare the performance of hand disinfection, nasopharyngeal swab taking, and donning/doffing of PPE before and after training and 1 month later as well as variables of media use. ResultsBoth groups performed significantly better after training, with the effect sustained over one month. After training, the VR group performed significantly better in taking a nasopharyngeal swab, scoring a median of 14 out of 17 points (IQR 13-15) versus 12 out of 17 points (IQR 11-14) in the control group, P=.03. With good immersion and tolerability of the VR simulation, satisfaction was significantly higher in the VR group compared to the control group (median score of User Satisfaction Evaluation Questionnaire 27/30, IQR 23-28, vs 22/30, IQR 20-24, in the control group; P=.01). ConclusionsVR simulation was at least as effective as traditional learning methods in training medical students while providing benefits regarding user satisfaction. These results add to the growing body of evidence that VR is a useful tool for acquiring simple and complex clinical skills.https://games.jmir.org/2021/4/e29586 |
| spellingShingle | Tanja Birrenbach Josua Zbinden George Papagiannakis Aristomenis K Exadaktylos Martin Müller Wolf E Hautz Thomas Christian Sauter Effectiveness and Utility of Virtual Reality Simulation as an Educational Tool for Safe Performance of COVID-19 Diagnostics: Prospective, Randomized Pilot Trial JMIR Serious Games |
| title | Effectiveness and Utility of Virtual Reality Simulation as an Educational Tool for Safe Performance of COVID-19 Diagnostics: Prospective, Randomized Pilot Trial |
| title_full | Effectiveness and Utility of Virtual Reality Simulation as an Educational Tool for Safe Performance of COVID-19 Diagnostics: Prospective, Randomized Pilot Trial |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness and Utility of Virtual Reality Simulation as an Educational Tool for Safe Performance of COVID-19 Diagnostics: Prospective, Randomized Pilot Trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness and Utility of Virtual Reality Simulation as an Educational Tool for Safe Performance of COVID-19 Diagnostics: Prospective, Randomized Pilot Trial |
| title_short | Effectiveness and Utility of Virtual Reality Simulation as an Educational Tool for Safe Performance of COVID-19 Diagnostics: Prospective, Randomized Pilot Trial |
| title_sort | effectiveness and utility of virtual reality simulation as an educational tool for safe performance of covid 19 diagnostics prospective randomized pilot trial |
| url | https://games.jmir.org/2021/4/e29586 |
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