Virtual reality simulation for critical pediatric airway management training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Technology
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Simulation-Based Training

Background:

• Pediatric airway emergencies, though rare, carry severe consequences.
• Simulation-based education offers a crucial zero-risk environment for managing these critical events.
• Virtual Reality (VR) is a recognized tool for medical emergency training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usability and feasibility of combining interactive videos with a novel VR trainer for healthcare professionals.
• To assess the impact of this combined training on learners' knowledge of pediatric critical airway events.

Main Methods:

• Participants (medical students, residents, faculty, nurses) completed a pre-test on pediatric airway emergency management.
• Interventions included interactive pediatric airway videos and a VR trainer (HoloLens) simulating critical events (anaphylaxis or foreign body aspiration).
• Participants completed a post-test and a perception survey.

Main Results:

• The combined video and VR interventions were well-received, with positive feedback on realism and interactivity.
• Participants showed knowledge improvements, particularly in pediatric anatomy, anaphylaxis, and foreign body removal (P < 0.05).
• Learners preferred future training to incorporate videos and VR, with some noting a learning curve for the VR trainer.

Conclusions:

• Interactive videos combined with VR simulation offer a promising zero-risk training method for pediatric critical airway events.
• This blended approach enhances knowledge and is favored by healthcare professionals for future training.