Efficacy of Virtual Reality Simulation in Teaching Basic Life Support and Its Retention at 6 Months

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Simulation Technology

Background:

• Educational efficiency is crucial for improving patient survival rates in cardiac arrest.
• Virtual reality (VR) simulation offers a potential method to enhance basic life support-automated external defibrillation (BLS-AED) training skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of VR simulation on BLS-AED skills and student satisfaction compared to traditional training.
• To assess the retention of these skills 6 months post-training.

Main Methods:

• An experimental study comparing traditional training (control group) with VR simulation (experimental group) in first-year health sciences students.
• Students were evaluated using a simulated case and validated instruments immediately after training and at 6 months.
• 241 students participated in the study.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in knowledge or practical skills (mannequin assessment) were found between VR and traditional training post-course.
• Defibrillation skills, evaluated by an instructor, were poorer in the VR group.
• Skill retention decreased significantly in both groups after 6 months, with better defibrillation results in the traditional learning group.

Conclusions:

• VR simulation in BLS-AED training yielded comparable results to traditional methods regarding initial skill acquisition.
• Traditional learning methods demonstrated superior outcomes in defibrillation skills and longer-term retention.
• Further research may be needed to optimize VR for specific critical skills like defibrillation in emergency medical training.