Education in Focused Lung Ultrasound Using Gamified Immersive Virtual Reality: A Randomized Controlled Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Focused lung ultrasound (FLUS) is crucial for emergency diagnostics.
• Acquiring FLUS proficiency can be challenging in clinical settings.
• Immersive virtual reality (IVR) presents a promising, risk-free educational solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the educational impact of gamified vs. non-gamified IVR training on novice FLUS users.
• To assess the learning effectiveness by comparing IVR training outcomes with established user proficiency levels.

Main Methods:

• 48 novice participants were divided into gamified (n=24) and non-gamified (n=24) IVR training groups.
• A validated test measured FLUS knowledge and skills post-training.
• Scores were compared between groups and against known novice, intermediate, and experienced FLUS user benchmarks.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in test scores between the gamified (mean=15.5) and non-gamified (mean=15.2) IVR groups (p=0.66).
• Both groups achieved scores comparable to known intermediate FLUS users (gamified p=0.63, non-gamified p=0.24).

Conclusions:

• Gamification elements did not significantly alter learning outcomes in this IVR FLUS training module.
• Both IVR training formats are effective for unsupervised, out-of-hospital training of novice FLUS users.
• IVR provides a viable method to enhance FLUS competency in emergency medicine education.