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A Large-Scale Multispecialty Evaluation of Web-Based Simulation in Medical Microbiology Laboratory Education:
Lei Xu1, Xichuan Deng2, Tingting Chen2
1Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, 1 Medical College Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China, 86 2368485288.
Background:
Traditional laboratory teaching of pathogenic cocci faces challenges in biosafety and standardization across medical specialties. While virtual simulation shows promise, evidence from large-scale, multidisciplinary studies remains limited.
Objective:
The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating virtual simulation with traditional laboratory practice in enhancing medical microbiology education, focusing on the identification of biosafety level 2 pathogenic cocci. The study assessed improvements in student performance, theoretical understanding, laboratory safety, and overall satisfaction, while achieving standardization and cost reduction across multiple medical specialties.
Methods:
This randomized controlled trial involved 1282 medical students from 9 specialties. The experimental group (n=653) received virtual simulation training-featuring interactivity and intelligent feedback-prior to traditional laboratory practice, while the control group (n=629) did not receive such training. Our virtual system focused on biosafety level 2 pathogenic cocci identification with dynamic specimen generation.
Results:
The experimental group showed significantly improved performance across specialties (P<.05 for each specialty), particularly in clinical medicine, in which the experimental group score was 89.88 (SD 13.09) and the control group score was 68.34 (SD 17.23; P<.001). The students reported that virtual simulation enhanced their theoretical understanding (1268/1282, 98.9%) and laboratory safety (1164/1282, 90.8%) while helping them achieve standardization (790/1282, 61.6%,) and cost reduction (957/1282, 74.6%). Overall student satisfaction reached 97.2% (1246/1282), with distinct learning patterns observed across specialties. The test scores were significantly higher in the experimental group, with a mean of 80.82 (SD 17.10), compared to the control group, with a mean of 67.45 (SD 16.81).
Conclusions:
This large-scale study demonstrates that integrating virtual simulation with traditional methods effectively enhances medical microbiology education, providing a standardized, safe, and cost-effective approach for teaching high-risk pathogenic experiments.
