Virtual reality informative aids increase residents' atrial fibrillation ablation procedures-related knowledge and patients' satisfaction

Introducing Virtual Reality in a STEMI Coronary Syndrome Course: Qualitative Evaluation with Nurses and Doctors

In the increasing number of medical education topics taught with virtual reality (VR), the prehospital management of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) had not been considered. This article proposes an implemented VR system for STEMI training and introduces it in an institutional course addressed to emergency nurses and case manager (CM) doctors. The system comprises three different applications to, respectively, allow (a) the course instructor to control the conditions of the virtual patient, (b) the CM to communicate with the nurse in the virtual field and receive from him/her the patient's parameters and electrocardiogram, and (c) the nurse to interact with the patient in the immersive VR scenario. We enrolled 17 course participants to collect their perceptions and opinions through a semistructured interview. The thematic analysis showed the system was appreciated (n = 17) and described as engaging (n = 4), challenging (n = 5), useful to improve self-confidence (n = 4), innovative (n = 5), and promising for training courses (n = 10). Realism was also appreciated (n = 13), although with some drawbacks (e.g., oversimplification; n = 5). Overall, participants described the course as an opportunity to share opinions (n = 8) and highlight issues (n = 4) and found it useful for novices (n = 5) and, as a refresh, for experienced personnel (n = 6). Some participants suggested improvements in the scenarios' type (n = 5) and variability (n = 5). Although most participants did not report usage difficulties with the VR system (n = 13), many described the need to get familiar with it (n = 13) and the specific gestures it requires (n = 10). Three suffered from cybersickness.

Clinical application of virtual reality in patients with cardiovascular disease: state of the art

Virtual reality offers a multisensory experience to patients, allowing them to hear, watch, and interact in a virtual environment. Immersive virtual reality is particularly suitable for the purpose of completely isolating patients from the external environment to transport them away from the suffering related to the disease. On this state of the art, we summarize the available literature on the effectiveness of virtual reality on various physical and psychological outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Virtual reality has been employed in the cardiovascular field in various settings such as cardiac rehabilitation, interventional cardiology, and cardiac surgery. This technology offers promising opportunities to improve several outcomes related to cardiovascular disease, but further research is needed to entirely capture its benefits and to standardize the intervention.

Virtual Reality for Patient Education about Hypertension: A Randomized Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Hypertension challenges arise in part from poor adherence due to inadequate patient education. VR offers immersive learning to improve hypertension knowledge.

OBJECTIVE

To compare VR education with traditional verbal education to improve hypertension knowledge.

METHODS

In this randomised trial, 182 patients with hypertension were assigned to receive either traditional physician-led education (n = 88) or VR education (n = 94) with equivalent content. The VR group experienced a 3D video using Oculus Quest 2 headsets. Knowledge was assessed post-intervention using a 29-item questionnaire. The primary outcome was the objective score. Subjective satisfaction and responder characteristics were secondary outcomes.

RESULTS

Median objective scores were significantly higher for VR (14, IQR 3) versus traditional education (10, IQR 5), p < 0.001, indicating superior hypertension knowledge acquisition with VR. Subjective satisfaction was high in both groups. Participants were categorized into low (first quartile) and medium-high (second to fourth quartiles) responders based on their scores. Low responders had a significantly higher prevalence of older women than medium-high responders (57% vs. 40% female, p = 0.024; 68 vs. 65 years), p = 0.036).

CONCLUSIONS

VR outperforms traditional education. Tailoring to groups such as older women can optimise learning.

The Role of Immersive Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Medical Communication: A Scoping Review

Communication between clinicians and patients and communication within clinical teams is widely recognized as a tool through which improved patient outcomes can be achieved. As emerging technologies, there is a notable lack of commentary on the role of immersive virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in enhancing medical communication. This scoping review aims to map the current landscape of literature on this topic and highlights gaps in the evidence to inform future endeavors. A comprehensive search strategy was conducted across 3 databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase), yielding 1000 articles, of which 623 were individually screened for relevance. Ultimately, 22 articles were selected for inclusion and review. Similarities across the cohort of studies included small sample sizes, observational study design, use of questionnaires, and more VR studies than AR. The majority of studies found these technologies to improve medical communication, although user tolerability limitations were identified. More studies are required, presenting more robust findings, in order to draw more definitive conclusions and stronger recommendations for use of immersive VR/AR in clinical environments.

Combining augmented and virtual reality simulation training to improve geriatric oral care performance in healthcare assistants: A randomized controlled trial

Objective

Healthcare assistants (HCAs) are frontline caregivers for older adults. This study evaluated the effectiveness of combining augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to implement oral healthcare simulation training for HCAs.

Methods

An experimental design was adopted. HCAs were recruited and randomly assigned to an AR/VR group (n = 40) or a control group (n = 40). The AR/VR group received 2.5 h of AR/VR training. Participants were trained on the Bass brushing technique through AR and on scenario-based oral care procedures for various physical and oral health conditions in older adults through VR. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect data before and after the training. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the differences between pretest and posttest results.

Results

After the training, the HCAs in the AR/VR group achieved a significantly greater increase in their level of oral care-related knowledge (β = 2.55, effect size [ES] = 1.62), self-efficacy (β = 4.23, ES = 0.75), and behavioral intention (β = 2.10, ES = 0.55) relative to the control group.

Conclusion

This study revealed that the application of an AR/VR simulation system can effectively improve the geriatric oral care performance of HCAs.

Preparing for the lasting effects of COVID-19 on medical training: The design and pilot study of a low-fidelity virtual reality prototype for Central Venous Catheterization training

Over the last several decades we have seen a shift from in-person to online training that has been exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers believe that many of these effects will be lasting which makes it even more important that the Human Factors community seek to step back and understand how to best train complex skills in a virtual world. The current paper is focused on understanding the utility of Virtual Reality (VR) in medical education for a hands-on procedural heavy procedure - ultrasound-guided Internal Jugular Central Venous Catheterization. Specifically, the objective of this study is to identify the potential utility of VR in US-IJCVC training through the design of a low-fidelity prototype and user interviews with three subject-matter experts. Results showed that the VR prototype designed is useful and provides a depth of knowledge and educational value which can be used to design innovative VR training approaches.

Virtual reality as a patient education tool in healthcare: A scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To explore what is currently known about the use of virtual reality (VR) as a patient education tool in healthcare.

METHODS

Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review method and the PRISMA-ScR Checklist were employed. Four peer-reviewed databases were searched (Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, the Cochrane library). Pre-defined selection criteria identified 18 studies for inclusion. Results were synthesized using a narrative approach.

RESULTS

VR as an educational tool in healthcare is feasible and acceptable, and may improve patient's knowledge about their illness and satisfaction with treatment. Most studies used the Oculus VR glasses or headset, educated patients though the use of 3D 360° VR anatomical models, and were conducted with people affected with cancer. Opportunities exist for exploring unintended consequences, and the role of VR in educating populations with lower health literacy.

CONCLUSION

VR could assist in communicating medical information and knowledge to patients, but more research is needed, particularly to identify for whom and in what situations this method is most useful and to improve understanding about the potential unintended consequences.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Health professionals should consider using VR to educate their patients, and researchers can use this as a road map on how to address knowledge gaps in this field.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Learning Outcomes of Medical Students in Taiwan: A Two-Year Prospective Cohort Study of OSCE Performance

Background/Aims: To avoid the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical clerkship, supplemental teachings such as digital materials in the scenario-based distal simulations were implemented. This study utilized the OSCE (objective-structured clinical examination) to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the learning outcome of medical students from the regular group (class of 2020) and pandemic-impacted group (class of 2021). Methods: All medical students serially took, firstly, the mock-OSCE, secondly, the mock-OSCE, and the national OSCE. Then, the serial OSCE scores were compared between groups. Results: Although with similar scores in the first mock OSCE, the regular group (n = 78) had a higher average score in the national OSCE than the pandemic-impacted group (n = 80) (872.18 vs. 834.96, p = 0.003). In terms of improvement, the performances of the regular group were also better than the pandemic-impacted group between the second mock OSCE and the national OSCE (79.10 vs. 38.14, p = 0.014), and between the second mock OSCE and the national OSCE (125.11 vs. 77.52, p = 0.003). While separating distinct genres, the regular group had more of a score increment in standardized patient-based stations between the second mock OSCE and the national OSCE (regular vs. pandemic-impacted: 57.03 vs. 18.95, p = 0.003), as well as between the first mock OSCE and the national OSCE (75.97 vs. 26.36, p < 0.001), but there was no significant difference among the skill-based stations. In particular, the scores of the emergency medicine associated station in the national OSCE of the pandemic-impacted group was lower. Conclusions: Our study implies that the pandemic significantly hampered the learning outcomes of final year medical students in their clinical participation. Especially facing the COVID-19 pandemic, more supplemental teachings are needed to compensate the decreasing emergency medicine exposure.