Development of immersive radiotherapy clinical learning experience prototype (IRCLEP)

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted clinical education for healthcare students, particularly in radiotherapy fields where hands-on learning is crucial. Limited access to clinical placement led to graduates lacking sufficient clinical exposure, potentially affecting their competence and confidence in practice. To address this gap, the Immersive Radiotherapy Clinical Learning Experience Prototype (IRCLEP) was developed as a gamified 3D learning application to enhance pre-clinical training. The prototype's content aligns with the intended learning outcomes of the Radiation Treatment Planning (RTP) course. It focuses on two key radiotherapy procedures: patient positioning and immobilisation device placement.

This study involved designing a simulated radiotherapy clinical environment using tools such as Blender, Shapr3D, Unity, and Visual Studio. The prototype features interactive clinical scenarios across head and neck, thoracic, and pelvic cancer cases, allowing users to engage in virtual treatment planning, equipment handling, and communication with AI-powered non-playable characters (NPCs). IRCLEP's effectiveness was evaluated through beta testing with students, lecturers, and clinicians from the Diagnostic Imaging and Radiotherapy (PDR) programme at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Participants interacted with the VR-based simulation and completed an online survey assessing engagement and satisfaction after using the VR-based simulation.

Results showed that about 77% of survey items achieved a mean score above 4 (on a 5-point Likert scale), indicating positive perceptions of both knowledge, engagement and satisfaction.

These findings suggest that IRCLEP offers an interactive and engaging alternative to traditional clinical training, offering opportunities to strengthen practical skills and improve student readiness for real-world radiotherapy practice. Future work should focus on empirical testing with a larger student cohort and explore VR integration to enhance immersion and authenticity.