P33 A virtual reality simulation programme: does it improve confidence and the understanding of non-technical skills and increase preparedness for clinical placements in medical students?

ObjectiveTo develop a virtual reality simulation training programme, and further verify the effect of the programme on improving the response capacity of emergency reserve nurses confronting public health emergencies.DesignA prospective quasiexperimental design with a control group.ParticipantsA total of 120 nurses were recruited and randomly divided into the control group and the intervention group.InterventionParticipants underwent a 3-month training. The control group received the conventional training of emergency response (eg, theoretical lectures, technical skills and psychological training), while the intervention group underwent the virtual reality simulation training in combination with skills training. The COVID-19 cases were incorporated into the intervention group training, and the psychological training was identical to both groups. At the end of the training, each group conducted emergency drills twice. Before and after the intervention, the two groups were assessed for the knowledge and technical skills regarding responses to fulminate respiratory infectious diseases, as well as the capacity of emergency care. Furthermore, their pandemic preparedness was assessed with a disaster preparedness questionnaire.ResultsAfter the intervention, the scores of the relevant knowledge, the capacity of emergency care and disaster preparedness in the intervention group significantly increased (p<0.01). The score of technical skills in the control group increased more significantly than that of the intervention group (p<0.01). No significant difference was identified in the scores of postdisaster management in two groups (p>0.05).ConclusionThe virtual reality simulation training in combination with technical skills training can improve the response capacity of emergency reserve nurses as compared with the conventional training. The findings of the study provide some evidence for the emergency training of reserve nurses in better response to public health emergencies and suggest this methodology is worthy of further research and popularisation.

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The use of virtual reality simulation to facilitate surgical ward-based learning in medical students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.12669/pjms.37.2.4118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Isabelle Carty ◽

Rupali Shah

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Medical Students ◽

Virtual Reality Simulation ◽

Surgical Ward

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.2.4118 How to cite this: Carty I, Shah R. The use of virtual reality simulation to facilitate surgical ward-based learning in medical students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(2):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.2.4118

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SP2.1.1Continuous Monitoring and Assessment of Surgical Technical Skills Using Deep Learning

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1093/bjs/znab361.022 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 108 (Supplement_7) ◽

Author(s):

Recai Yilmaz ◽

Alexander Winkler-Schwartz ◽

Aiden Reich ◽

Rolando Del Maestro

Keyword(s):

Neural Network ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Deep Learning ◽

Medical Students ◽

Deep Neural Network ◽

Performance Metrics ◽

Technical Skills ◽

Surgical Performance ◽

Surgical Simulators ◽

Surgical Technical

Abstract Aims Excellent surgical technical skills are of paramount importance to perform surgical procedures, safely and efficiently. Virtual reality surgical simulators can both simulate real operations while providing standardized, risk-free surgical hands-on experience. The integration of AI (artificial intelligence) and virtual reality simulators provides opportunities to carry out comprehensive continuous assessments of surgical performance. We developed and tested a deep learning algorithm which can continuously monitor and assess surgical bimanual performance on virtual reality surgical simulators. Methods Fifty participants from four expertise levels (14 experts/neurosurgeons, 14 senior residents, 10 junior residents, 12 medical students) performed a simulated subpial tumor resection 5 times and a complex simulated brain tumor operation once on the NeuroVR platform. Participants were asked to remove the tumors completely while minimizing bleeding and damage to surrounding tissues employing a simulated ultrasonic aspirator and bipolar forceps. A deep neural network continually tracked the surgical performance utilizing 16 performance metrics generated every 0.2-seconds. Results The deep neural network was successfully trained using neurosurgeons and medical students’ data, learning the composites of expertise comparing high and lower skill levels. The trained algorithm was able to score the technical skills of individuals continuously at 0.2-second intervals. Statistically significant differences in average scores were identified between the 4 groups. Conclusions AI-powered surgical simulators provide continuous assessment of bimanual technical skills during surgery which may further define the composites necessary to train surgical expertise. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt in surgery to continuously assess surgical technical skills using deep learning.

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Resuscitating Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training in a Virtual Reality: Prospective Interventional Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/22920 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (7) ◽

pp. e22920

Author(s):

Janaya Elizabeth Perron ◽

Michael Jonathon Coffey ◽

Andrew Lovell-Simons ◽

Luis Dominguez ◽

Mark E King ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Medical Students ◽

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽

Testing Session ◽

Virtual Reality Simulation ◽

Game Play ◽

Participant Satisfaction ◽

Educational Efficacy ◽

Beta Testing

Background Simulation-based technologies are emerging to enhance medical education in the digital era. However, there is limited data for the use of virtual reality simulation in pediatric medical education. We developed Virtual Doc as a highly immersive virtual reality simulation to teach pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills to medical students. Objective The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate participant satisfaction and perceived educational efficacy of Virtual Doc. The secondary aim of this study was to assess the game play features of Virtual Doc. Methods We conducted a prospective closed beta-testing study at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia) in 2018. All medical students from the 6-year undergraduate program were eligible to participate and were recruited through voluntary convenience sampling. Participants attended a 1-hour testing session and attempted at least one full resuscitation case using the virtual reality simulator. Following this, participants were asked to complete an anonymous postsession questionnaire. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 26 participants were recruited, consented to participate in this study, and attended a 1-hour in-person closed beta-testing session, and 88% (23/26) of participants completed the anonymous questionnaire and were included in this study. Regarding participant satisfaction, Virtual Doc was enjoyed by 91% (21/23) of participants, with 74% (17/23) intending to recommend the simulation to a colleague and 66% (15/23) intending to recommend the simulation to a friend. In assessment of the perceived educational value of Virtual Doc, 70% (16/23) of participants agreed they had an improved understanding of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and 78% (18/23) agreed that Virtual Doc will help prepare for and deal with real-life clinical scenarios. Furthermore, 91% (21/23) of participants agreed with the development of additional Virtual Doc cases as beneficial for learning. An evaluation of the game play features as our secondary objective revealed that 70% (16/23) of participants agreed with ease in understanding how to use Virtual Doc, and 74% (17/23) found the game play elements useful in understanding cardiopulmonary resuscitation. One-third (7/23, 30%) found it easy to work with the interactive elements. In addition, 74% (17/23) were interested in interacting with other students within the simulation. Conclusions Our study demonstrates a positive response regarding trainee satisfaction and perceived educational efficacy of Virtual Doc. The simulation was widely accepted by the majority of users and may have the potential to improve educational learning objectives.

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