External post-mortem examination in virtual reality-scalability of a monocentric application

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Forensic Medicine
• Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

• External post-mortem examinations are crucial for physicians but face quality concerns and errors.
• Existing training methods may not adequately prepare medical professionals for these critical tasks.
• Virtual reality (VR) offers a potential solution to enhance practical medical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and adaptability of a VR application for external post-mortem examination training.
• To assess the impact of VR training on medical students' confidence in conducting examinations and completing death certificates.
• To explore the scalability of VR training across different educational levels and institutions.

Main Methods:

• Development of a VR application focusing on the scene of discovery and death certificate completion.
• Implementation and evaluation of the VR training in medical departments in Germany (Halle and Dresden).
• Data collection through participant feedback and evaluation surveys from students and early-career professionals.

Main Results:

• High confidence increase reported: 93.1% in conducting external post-mortems and 96.8% in completing death certificates.
• Overwhelming agreement on the value of VR training: 96.8% viewed it as a valuable academic addition.
• Persistent demand for traditional training: 91.6% stated real corpse training remains irreplaceable due to lack of haptic feedback.

Conclusions:

• VR training demonstrates significant potential in enhancing medical education for external post-mortem examinations and death certification.
• The VR application shows adaptability and scalability across diverse educational settings and professional levels.
• Further development of VR technology, particularly haptic feedback, is recommended, alongside continued integration into medical curricula.