Virtual Reality Case Simulations for Teaching Voice Disorder Assessment: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Comparison With...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Virtual Reality in Healthcare
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Traditional clinical case simulations may not fully replicate real-world complexities.
• Graduate training in speech-language pathology (SLP) requires effective methods for developing clinical decision-making skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot an immersive virtual reality (VR) clinical case simulation for speech-language pathology (SLP) students.
• To compare the effects of VR simulation versus traditional computer-based simulation on student confidence and clinical decision-making in voice disorder cases.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study involving 18 graduate SLP students.
• Random assignment to either VR simulation or computer-based simulation (SimuCase).
• Analysis of clinical decision-making accuracy and pre-/post-simulation confidence surveys, supplemented by qualitative reflections.

Main Results:

• Students using VR simulation showed significantly higher accuracy in clinical decision-making.
• VR participants reported higher overall confidence in voice evaluation and treatment.
• Qualitative feedback indicated VR enhanced engagement and realism, while computer-based simulation had limitations.

Conclusions:

• Immersive VR simulation shows potential for enhancing accuracy and confidence in graduate SLP students.
• Findings suggest VR may be a valuable tool for experiential learning in speech-language pathology.
• Further research is needed to explore VR's full impact on clinical skill development due to the small pilot sample size.