Psoriasis Area and Severity Index Training via Virtual Reality Application: New Way of Effective Teaching.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Medical Education
• Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

• Accurate Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) assessment is crucial for guiding systemic treatment decisions.
• Current PASI assessment requires specialized training for reproducibility and accuracy.
• Virtual Reality (VR) offers a potential solution to enhance healthcare provider empowerment and grading accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of a VR-based PASI training program against standard PASI teaching methods.
• To evaluate the impact of VR training on the accuracy of PASI scoring by novice raters.
• To assess user satisfaction and quality of both VR and traditional training methods.

Main Methods:

• A randomized prospective trial involving 70 medical students with no prior PASI or VR experience.
• Comparison of PASI scoring accuracy between a VR training group and a classical lecture group against a trained assessor.
• Quantitative and qualitative assessment of training quality and participant satisfaction.

Main Results:

• VR-trained raters demonstrated significantly higher accuracy in PASI severity assessment compared to the classical lecture group (p=0.011, R=0.302).
• The VR group achieved a lower median PASI score difference (1.1) versus the classical group (2.7), indicating improved accuracy.
• Participants in the VR group reported higher satisfaction and a better learning experience.

Conclusions:

• VR-based PASI training leads to superior accuracy in severity assessment for untrained raters compared to traditional lectures.
• The VR PASI program enhances the practical application of PASI scoring.
• VR training presents a promising tool for improving dermatological assessment skills.