The Use of Immersive 360-degree Video in Improving Spatial Orientation

NCT05894005 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 5856
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 44
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

As medical students rotate through different hospital sites as part of their studies, the students are frequently exposed to new and unfamiliar environments. This can cause anxiety in some students, and can potentially result in students becoming lost, and arriving late to their activities. To prevent this, students are currently provided with instructions in the form of written directions, photographs, maps, and/or 2-dimensional videos. In this study, the investigators will test if immersive 360-degree virtual reality videos (videos shown using a headset/goggles that allow the wearer to experience the video as though they were actually there), are better at teaching medical students how to navigate the hospital and find new locations, compared to normal, 2-dimensional video instructions. Medical students will be asked to find their way to a new location within the hospital, after being given instructions using either 2-dimensional (standard) video or 360-degree virtual reality video. The investigators will measure how long it takes students to find the new location, and how often the students get lost or confused along the way. If successful, the investigators believe that this new method of teaching will help students to get around in new places more easily and lessen student anxiety. This will also increase knowledge related to 360-degree virtual reality video for teaching medical students.

Conditions

Virtual Reality

Keywords

Education, Virtual Reality, Orientation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Time assessment

  A blinded research assistant will follow and time how long it takes the medical student to travel from the starting to end point.

  1 hour

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Distance assessment:

  1 hour

• Way-finding corrective measures:

  1 hour

• Satisfaction Survey

  1 hour

Study Arms (2)

Group A

EXPERIMENTAL

Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR)

Other: Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR)

Group B

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Traditional 2-D Video

Other: Traditional 2-D Video

Interventions

Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) OTHER

Students will be first taken to the anesthesia lounge. Here the students will receive IVR instructions on how to navigate the route (i.e. they will watch a 360-degree video using Oculus VR headset). Then the students will be assessed with an observed walkthrough of the route.

Group A

Traditional 2-D Video OTHER

Students will be first taken to the anesthesia lounge. Students will receive 2D video instruction on how to navigate the route by watching a normal 2D video using a desktop computer screen. Then the students will be assessed with an observed walkthrough of the route.

Group B

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Pre-clerkship (year 1 and 2) medical students from the University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

You may not qualify if:

• Experience visiting Sunnybrook for personal reasons or previous coursework, shadowing, research, or clinical rotations. Having a familiarity with the floor plan of the hospital.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre: lead

Study Sites (1)

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada

RECRUITING

Related Publications (12)

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  PMID: 22081660 BACKGROUND

• Alaker M, Wynn GR, Arulampalam T. Virtual reality training in laparoscopic surgery: A systematic review & meta-analysis. Int J Surg. 2016 May;29:85-94. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2016.03.034. Epub 2016 Mar 15.

  PMID: 26992652 BACKGROUND

• Barsom EZ, Graafland M, Schijven MP. Systematic review on the effectiveness of augmented reality applications in medical training. Surg Endosc. 2016 Oct;30(10):4174-83. doi: 10.1007/s00464-016-4800-6. Epub 2016 Feb 23.

  PMID: 26905573 BACKGROUND

• Bridge PD, Jackson M, Robinson L. The effectiveness of streaming video on medical student learning: a case study. Med Educ Online. 2009 Aug 19;14:11. doi: 10.3885/meo.2009.Res00311.

  PMID: 20165525 BACKGROUND

• Cha YW, Dou M, Chabra R, Menozzi F, State A, Wallen E, Fuchs H. Immersive Learning Experiences for Surgical Procedures. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2016;220:55-62.

  PMID: 27046554 BACKGROUND

• de Leng B, Dolmans D, van de Wiel M, Muijtjens A, van der Vleuten C. How video cases should be used as authentic stimuli in problem-based medical education. Med Educ. 2007 Feb;41(2):181-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02671.x.

  PMID: 17269952 BACKGROUND

• Flores AS, Garber SM, Niesen AD, Long TR, Lynch JJ, Wass CT. Clinical application of a novel video camera laryngoscope: a case series venturing beyond the normal airway. J Clin Anesth. 2010 May;22(3):201-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2009.03.016.

  PMID: 20400007 BACKGROUND

• Gagliano ME. A literature review on the efficacy of video in patient education. J Med Educ. 1988 Oct;63(10):785-92. doi: 10.1097/00001888-198810000-00006.

  PMID: 3050102 BACKGROUND

• Gandsas A, McIntire K, Palli G, Park A. Live streaming video for medical education: a laboratory model. J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A. 2002 Oct;12(5):377-82. doi: 10.1089/109264202320884135.

  PMID: 12470413 BACKGROUND

• Knowles C, Kinchington F, Erwin J, Peters B. A randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of combining video role play with traditional methods of delivering undergraduate medical education. Sex Transm Infect. 2001 Oct;77(5):376-80. doi: 10.1136/sti.77.5.376.

  PMID: 11588286 BACKGROUND

• Spofford CM, Bayman EO, Szeluga DJ, From RP. Anesthesia machine checkout and room setup: a randomized, single-blind, comparison of two teaching modalities. J Educ Perioper Med. 2012 Jan 1;14(1):E060. eCollection 2012 Jan-Jun.

  PMID: 27175391 BACKGROUND

• Zhu E, Hadadgar A, Masiello I, Zary N. Augmented reality in healthcare education: an integrative review. PeerJ. 2014 Jul 8;2:e469. doi: 10.7717/peerj.469. eCollection 2014.

  PMID: 25071992 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Orientation, Spatial

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Spatial Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Ahtsham U Niazi, FRCPC

  Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Ahtsham U Niazi, FRCPC

CONTACT

647-339-0387; ahtsham.niazi@sunnybrook.ca

Vikas Patel, MD

CONTACT

519-702-2570; vikpat907@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The outcomes assessor will not be aware of which video format will be viewed by the participants.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Participants will be asked to complete a navigation task within Sunnybrook Hospital. Prior to the task, video instructions will be provided using either 2D video or immersive 360-degree VR video.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 30, 2023
• First Posted: June 8, 2023
• Study Start: November 8, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026
• Last Updated: December 18, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)