Radiography education with VR using head mounted display: proficiency evaluation by rubric method.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Radiologic Technology Training
• Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

• Head-mounted display (HMD)-based virtual reality (VR) coaching systems (HMD-VRC) are increasingly explored for radiography skill acquisition.
• Previous studies often relied on subjective questionnaire-based evaluations of HMD-VRC effectiveness.
• HMD-VRC presents limitations in palpation and patient interaction compared to traditional training methods, potentially impacting skill proficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of VR constraints, specifically palpation and patient interaction, on radiographic skills proficiency in a real-world setting.
• To compare the effectiveness of HMD-VRC with conventional physical equipment training for radiologic technologists.

Main Methods:

• Thirty first-year radiology technologist students were randomly assigned to either an HMD-VRC group or a conventional physical equipment (RP) group for a one-hour training session.
• Proficiency was assessed by instructors using a standardized rubric method after the training period.

Main Results:

• Some radiographic skills trained via HMD-VRC were comparable to those trained with conventional methods.
• However, significant decreases in proficiency were observed in skills directly involving palpation and patient interaction for the HMD-VRC group.
• HMD-VRC performance was found to be significantly lower than the RP group in specific skill areas.

Conclusions:

• HMD-VRC may be less effective than real-world training for radiographic techniques demanding palpation and patient interaction.
• Objective, real-world proficiency assessment is vital for optimizing HMD-VRC, even with advancements like haptic feedback and virtual patient interaction.
• Future HMD-VRC development should address limitations in simulating tactile feedback and dynamic patient engagement.