VR in Undergraduate Anesthesia Training

NCT07079059 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: VR in Anesthesia UGME
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 180
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Medical students learning anesthesia often face challenges in gaining hands-on experience due to the complexity of the operating room environment. Traditional teaching methods, such as lectures and in-person training, can be inconsistent due to variations in clinical exposure and instructor availability. Virtual reality (VR) technology offers an innovative solution by allowing students to practice anesthesia-related skills in a risk-free, immersive environment. This study will evaluate whether VR simulation training can better prepare third-year medical students for their anesthesia rotation compared to traditional methods. Students will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one will receive VR training before their rotation, while the other will follow the standard curriculum without VR. To assess the effectiveness of VR training, all students will complete pre- and post-rotation surveys measuring their confidence in anesthesia principles, procedural skills, and overall preparedness. Additionally, faculty will use a standardized checklist to evaluate students' performance on key anesthesia procedures during their clinical rotations. By comparing students who received VR training to those who did not, this study will determine if VR can improve knowledge retention, skill development, and confidence in real clinical settings. If successful, VR technology could enhance anesthesia education and provide new training opportunities for medical students, including those in remote or resource-limited settings.

Conditions

Anesthesia

Keywords

Virtual Reality; Undergraduate Medical Education; Anesthesia

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Impact of virtual reality (VR) simulation on the confidence, preparedness, and procedural skill performance of third-year medical students during their anesthesia rotation.

  This will be measured by analyzing student survey responses that self-report their perception of their confidence and preparedness in Anesthesia and their procedural skill performance as evaluated by Anesthesia Faculty preceptors.

  Period of 2 weeks during the students' Anesthesia rotation

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Perceived realism and usefulness of VR training

  Period of 2 weeks during the students' Anesthesia rotation

• Feasibility of integrating VR into medical education

  Period of 2 weeks during the students' Anesthesia rotation

• Identify factors that may influence training effectiveness

  Period of 2 weeks during the students' Anesthesia rotation

• Barriers of integrating VR into medical education

  Period of 2 weeks during the students' Anesthesia rotation

Study Arms (2)

Virtual Reality Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Students will complete a one-hour VR training session on the first day of their anesthesia rotation. Virtual reality-based training will use a high-fidelity VR simulation platform on Quest VR headsets, allowing students to practice key anesthesia skills, including airway management techniques (e.g., supraglottic airway placement, endotracheal intubation), anesthetic agent preparation and administration, and patient monitoring during anesthesia. questions. After completing the VR training, students will proceed with their standard two-week anesthesia rotation in clinical settings.

Other: Virtual Reality Training

Standard Training

NO INTERVENTION

Students in this group will not receive VR training and will follow the existing standard teaching curriculum without any modification, which includes traditional didactic lectures and hands-on learning in the clinical setting under faculty supervision. All aspects of the student's training will remain the same and not be impacted by participation in this study.

Interventions

Virtual Reality Training OTHER

One hour of virtual reality training to be included in students' Anesthesia training prior to the start of their Anesthesia rotation.

Virtual Reality Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Enrolled as a third-year medical student in the Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) program at Western University (Schulich School of Medicine \& Dentistry).
• Scheduled to complete a two-week anesthesia rotation at one of the affiliated teaching hospitals:
• London: Victoria Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, or University Hospital
• Windsor: Metropolitan Campus or Ouellette Campus
• Willing to participate in the study and provide informed consent.
• Able to complete pre- and post-rotation assessments (self-assessment surveys and procedural skills checklist) administered in the English language.
• years of age or older

You may not qualify if:

• Prior clinical anesthesia experience before their core anesthesia rotation, including: Participation in an Optional Clinical Learning Opportunity (OCLO) in anesthesia. Completion of a summer elective or placement in anesthesia. Completion of an anesthesia selective before their core anesthesia rotation.
• Previous exposure to the VR training platform used in the study (e.g., prior experience with the specific VR simulation software for anesthesia training).
• Students who do not consent to participate in the study or do not wish to be randomized into either the VR or control group.
• Students unable to complete the study assessments in the English language, including: Pre- and post-rotation surveys. Observer-completed procedural skills checklist (during clinical rotations).
• Medical or personal conditions preventing participation, such as: severe motion sickness or vertigo that would prevent the use of VR headsets. Any condition that significantly impacts vision or motor function, affecting the ability to engage with VR simulations.
• Students who are experience nausea.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's: lead

Related Publications (7)

• Pottle J. Virtual reality and the transformation of medical education. Future Healthc J. 2019 Oct;6(3):181-185. doi: 10.7861/fhj.2019-0036.

  PMID: 31660522 BACKGROUND

• Gu Y, Tenenbein M, Korz L, Busse JW, Chiu M. Simulation-based medical education in Canadian anesthesiology academic institutions: a national survey. Can J Anaesth. 2024 Dec;71(12):1725-1734. doi: 10.1007/s12630-024-02720-6. Epub 2024 Mar 7.

  PMID: 38453798 BACKGROUND

• Duffy CC, Bass GA, Yi W, Rouhi A, Kaplan LJ, O'Sullivan E. Teaching Airway Management Using Virtual Reality: A Scoping Review. Anesth Analg. 2024 Apr 1;138(4):782-793. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000006611. Epub 2023 Jul 19.

  PMID: 37467164 BACKGROUND

• Jiang H, Vimalesvaran S, Wang JK, Lim KB, Mogali SR, Car LT. Virtual Reality in Medical Students' Education: Scoping Review. JMIR Med Educ. 2022 Feb 2;8(1):e34860. doi: 10.2196/34860.

  PMID: 35107421 BACKGROUND

• Zheng T, Xie H, Gao F, Gong C, Lin W, Ye P, Liu Y, He B, Zheng X. Research and application of a teaching platform for combined spinal-epidural anesthesia based on virtual reality and haptic feedback technology. BMC Med Educ. 2023 Oct 25;23(1):794. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04758-4.

  PMID: 37880665 BACKGROUND

• Palter VN, Grantcharov TP. Individualized deliberate practice on a virtual reality simulator improves technical performance of surgical novices in the operating room: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Surg. 2014 Mar;259(3):443-8. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000000254.

  PMID: 24503910 BACKGROUND

• Gan W, Mok TN, Chen J, She G, Zha Z, Wang H, Li H, Li J, Zheng X. Researching the application of virtual reality in medical education: one-year follow-up of a randomized trial. BMC Med Educ. 2023 Jan 3;23(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03992-6.

  PMID: 36597093 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Aldo Espinosa

  London Health Sciences Centre

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Aldo Espinsosa

CONTACT

5196858500; Aldo.EspinosaTadeo@lhsc.on.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Anesthesiologist, Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 9, 2025
• First Posted: July 22, 2025
• Study Start: October 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Last Updated: July 22, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share