Virtual reality videos for training and protocol dissemination during a pandemic

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Preparations for the COVID-19 pandemic required healthcare teams to practice known skills, such as intubation, with renewed consideration for safety, as well as develop new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for health care delivery. In these conditions, translational simulation based-education (SBE) is a well-known tool that supports health care teams to improve the system using design thinking methods such as walkthroughs and team-based simulation. However, the pandemic has introduced two stressors on translational SBE simultaneously. Firstly, the need for rapid upskilling of front-line staff and rapid change to SOPs. Secondly, the need for social or physical distancing at work, such that it quickly became inappropriate for large groups of individuals to practice in-situ SBE and debrief together in close proximity. An educational approach that brings the best of translational SBE while minimizing contact and maximizing experiential learning is needed. Digital learning has been rapidly adopted by much of medical education during the pandemic. Focusing on a strong alignment between learning goals with intended clinical performance change outcomes we sought to leverage a digital education format that allowed for low barriers to adoption, yet supported the experiential, dynamic reality of translational SBE. In the absence of the ability to quickly train large numbers of people due to the need for social distancing, an immersive experience that can only be provided by virtual reality (VR) videos was the next best thing. VR, using 360-degree video, supported the creation of instructional videos from SBE events in the hospital which allow the learner to immerse and explore multiple points within the scenario. We describe how the very act of recording a video assisted in the rapid development of SOPs through translational simulation. We then describe the use of VR to stay true to the spirit of simulation for experiential learning and nearly hands-on training.