Student perceptions of the use of three-dimensional (3-D) virtual reality (VR) simulation in the delivery of radiation protection training for radiography and medical students

BACKGROUND

VR simulation-based learning is increasingly used in healthcare education to prepare students for clinical practice. This study investigates healthcare students' experience of learning radiation safety in a simulated interventional radiology (IR) suite.

METHOD

Radiography students (n = 35) and medical students (n = 100) were introduced to 3D VR radiation dosimetry software designed to improve the learners' understanding of radiation safety in IR. Radiography students underwent formal VR training and assessment, which was complemented with clinical placement. Medical students practiced similar 3D VR activities informally without assessment. An online questionnaire containing Likert questions and open-ended questions was used to gather student feedback on the perceived value of VR-based radiation safety education. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyse Likert-questions. Open-ended question responses were thematically analysed.

RESULTS

A survey response rate of 49% (n = 49) and 77% (n = 27) was obtained from radiography and medical students respectively. Most respondents (80%) enjoyed their 3D VR learning experience, favouring the in-person VR experience to online VR. 73% felt that VR learning enhanced their confidence across all relevant learning outcomes. Whilst confidence was enhanced across both cohorts, VR learning had a greater impact on confidence levels amongst medical students with respect to their understanding of radiation safety matters (U = 375.5, p < 0.01). 3D VR was deemed a valuable assessment tool.

CONCLUSION

Radiation dosimetry simulation-based learning in the 3D VR IR suite is perceived to be a valuable pedagogical tool by radiography and medical students and enhances curricula content.

Long-term strategies support autonomy in radiation safety in invasive cardiology

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Despite comprehensive radiation safety programs, radiation exposure in invasive cardiology remains considerable. According to the 2013 German Registry, median in-hospital dose area products (DAP) amount to 19.8Gycm(2) for invasive coronary angiography (CA). We analyzed long-term radiation-reducing strategies for an experienced interventionalist from 1997 to 2012, for the target intervention of CA.

METHODS

Among representative cohorts, we evaluated iterative alterations in collimation, time on beam, pulse rates, detector entrance doses, and angulations on the basis of DAP, radiographic DAP(R) and fluoroscopic DAP(F), the respective times on beam, and the number of frames and runs.

RESULTS

Patients' median overall DAP decreased from 33.8Gycm(2) at baseline to 2.4 and 0.6Gycm(2) for CA in conventional (C) and electrocardiogram-gated (E) modes - one diastolic radiographic frame per heartbeat at 77% of the RR interval. Further median dose parameters for CA at baseline and finally in C/E mode were as follows: effective dose (6.76-0.48/0.13mSv), radiography time (43.8-12.9/21.7s), frames (548-105/25), frames/run (41.3-14.4/3.4), DAP(R)/frame (42.6-16.6/12.6mGycm(2)), DAP(R)/s (532-130/13.8mGycm(2)/s), fluoroscopy time (195-120/119s), DAP(F)/pulse (2.0-1.1/0.8mGycm(2)), and DAP(F)/s (48.9-4.4/3.1mGycm(2)/s).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data highlight the efficacy of various radiation-reducing strategies by autonomous control and iterative training in radiation safety toward submillisievert levels for CA, and define realizable benchmarks for comparison with the performance data of any individual.