Educational Effects of Training With a Virtual Reality-Based Objective Structured Clinical Examination Software

Hiroshima University, in collaboration with BeRISE Corp, developed a virtual reality-based objective structured clinical examination (VR OSCE^TM) practice software, as an educational tool to enhance clinical skills. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of training with VR OSCE^TM for medical students.

Twenty medical students participated in this prospective, pre- and post-intervention study. They conducted medical interviews and physical examinations of simulated patients using VR OSCE^TM and presented their findings. Two instructing doctors assessed and scored their performance based on predefined criteria before and after training. A paired t-test was used to analyze the pre- and post-training scores of five parameters: (a) safety checks, (b) patient care, (c) medical interviews and physical examinations, (d) presentation skills, and (e) overall performance. A questionnaire survey was also administered to assess participants' perceptions of VR OSCE^TM.

Post-training scores significantly improved across all parameters compared with pre-training scores (p < 0.01). Scores for (a) safety checks (Pre: 6.0 ± 1.9, Post: 8.6 ± 1.8) and (b) patient care (Pre: 4.6 ± 1.8, Post: 7.8 ± 1.1) were close to the OSCE passing threshold prior to training. Notably, there were remarkable improvements in scores for (c) medical interviews and physical examinations (Pre: 4.1 ± 1.7, Post: 7.3 ± 1.2) and (d) presentation skills (Pre: 3.5 ± 1.3, Post: 7.0 ± 1.6). Scores for (e) overall performance (Pre: 3.8 ± 1.3, Post: 7.2 ± 1.5) mirrored these improvements. The survey indicated that all participants recognized the effectiveness of training with VR OSCE^TM as a component of OSCE certification preparation.

This study is the first to evaluate the educational impact of VR OSCE™ training in medical students. VR-based training appears to be effective, likely due to its immersive nature. These findings suggest that VR-based digital simulation has substantial potential to enhance medical education.