Measuring Stress and Perceptions for a Virtual Reality-Based Pericardiocentesis Procedure Simulation for Medical...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Technology
• Simulation-Based Training
• Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) offers immersive training for high-risk medical procedures like pericardiocentesis.
• Evaluating VR simulation usability and stress responses is crucial for effective medical education.
• Heart rate variability (HRV) objectively measures physiological stress during simulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess the usability of a VR pericardiocentesis simulation.
• Examine the relationship between perceived usability and physiological stress (HRV).
• Determine the impact of prior VR experience on usability and stress.

Main Methods:

• 119 medical students used a VR pericardiocentesis simulation.
• Usability assessed via System Usability Scale (SUS) and other questionnaires.
• Physiological stress measured using HRV parameters (rMSSDs, PNN50, etc.).

Main Results:

• VR simulation achieved high usability (SUS=75.00) and strong immersion.
• Simulator sickness was mild but correlated negatively with HRV parameters.
• Prior VR experience improved usability and reduced simulator sickness.

Conclusions:

• VR simulations are effective for training high-risk procedures with good usability.
• Refining VR interfaces can mitigate simulator sickness and improve user comfort.
• Future research should focus on balancing immersion with user comfort in VR medical training.