Effectiveness of sensing gloves–applied virtual reality education system on hand hygiene practice: A randomized controlled trial

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2024.08.003
• Publication Date: 2024-08-09T01:02:30Z
• Authors: Mahiro Izumi; Hideharu Hagiya; Yuki Otsuka; Yoshiaki Soejima; Shinnosuke Fukushima; Mitsunobu Shibata; Satoshi Hirota; Toshihiro Koyama; Fumio Otsuka; Akio Gofuku
• Keywords: Infection prevention and control; Medical-engineering collaboration; 610

We developed a virtual reality (VR) education system and evaluated its clinical utility for promoting hand hygiene practices.This prospective, two-week, randomised controlled study conducted at Okayama University Hospital, Japan, from November 2023 to January 2024, involved 22 participants (18 medical students and four residents). A fully immersive 360° VR system (VIVE Pro Eye) using a head-mounted display and sensing gloves was used to develop three healthcare tasks in a virtual patient room-Environmental Cleaning, Gauze Exchange, and Urine Collection. After monitoring all participants' baseline usage data of portable hand-rubbing alcohol in the first week, we randomly assigned them into 1:1 groups (VR training and video lecture groups). The primary outcome was differences in hand-rubbed alcohol use before and after intervention.Before the intervention, alcohol use did not significantly differ between both groups. After the intervention, a significant increase in alcohol use was observed in the VR training group (median: 8.2 g vs. 16.2 g; p=0.019) but not in the video lecture group.Our immersive 360° VR education system enhanced hand hygiene practices. Infection prevention and control practitioners and digital technology experts must collaborate to advance the development of superior educational devices and content.