Applying an immersive tutorial in virtual reality to learning a new technique

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuchi.2020.05.006
• Publication Date: 2020-07-02T15:14:16Z
• Authors: M. Ros; B. Debien; C. Cyteval; N. Molinari; F. Gatto; N. Lonjon
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Students, Medical; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; 4. Education; 05 social sciences; Neurosurgery; Video Recording; Virtual Reality; Problem-Based Learning; Cerebral Ventricles; 3. Good health; [SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]; Surveys and Questionnaires; Drainage; Humans; Female; Clinical Competence; Educational Measurement; Prospective Studies; Simulation Training; 0503 education

The medical world is continuously evolving, with techniques being created or improved almost daily. Immersive virtual reality (VR) is a technology that could be harnessed to develop tools that meet the educational challenges of this changing environment. We previously described the immersive tutorial, a 3D video (filmed from the first-person point of view), displayed on a VR application. This tool offers access to supplementary educational data in addition to the video. Here we attempt to assess improvement in learning a technique using this new educational format.We selected a single neurosurgical technique for the study: external ventricular drainage. We wrote a technical note describing this procedure and produced the corresponding immersive tutorial. We conducted a prospective randomized comparative study with students. All participants read the technical note, and one group used the immersive tutorial as a teaching supplement. The students completed a multiple-choice questionnaire immediately after the training and again at six months.One hundred seventy-six fourth-year medical students participated in the study; 173 were included in assessing the immediate learning outcomes and 72 were included at the six-month follow-up. The VR group demonstrated significantly better short-term results than the control group (P=0.01). The same trend was seen at six months.To our knowledge, this study presents one of the largest cohorts for VR. The use of the immersive tutorial could enable a large number of healthcare professionals to be trained without the need for expensive equipment.