Training future health professionals in virtual worlds

The VR revolution of learning methods in North Rhine-Westphalia

The training of healthcare professionals is facing increasing challenges. The need for hands-on experience, access to realistic training environments, and safe preparation for complex medical situations are critical to effective training. In this context, Virtual Reality (VR) offers a transformative solution to healthcare training that complements and enhances traditional methods. With VR, healthcare professionals can train in immersive, interactive environments that are designed to be realistic but risk-free. Complex medical procedures, emergency scenarios or rare clinical cases can be simulated at any time and as often as required. Trainees benefit not only from a safe environment in which mistakes can be made and analyzed, but also from an enhanced learning curve through visual and haptic interactions.

VR in the training of healthcare professionals enables personalized teaching in which learning content can be individually adapted and progress can be precisely tracked. It also promotes collaboration, as interdisciplinary teams can work together worldwide – regardless of their geographical location. This technology opens up new horizons in medical education and makes a significant contribution to improving healthcare by optimally preparing a new generation of professionals.

Three VR experts report on their expectations, experiences and forecasts for the use of VR in the training of healthcare professionals. Philipp Rocker works in the school management of the rescue service at the Johanniter Academy North Rhine-Westphalia at the Münster campus. He already uses numerous VR applications in training at Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe. Professor Thomas Ludwig holds the ABD Research Professorship of Educational Technologies for Digital Transformation at the University of Hagen. This is affiliated to the interdisciplinary research focus on work – education – digitalization. His research interests lie primarily in the area of human-centered technology design, immersive teaching and learning, the design of assistance systems and human-centered artificial intelligence. Frithjof Meinke is Managing Director of the VR start-up Immerzed. The company focuses on solutions for training people in healthcare professions using VR.

What excites you about virtual reality?

Philipp Rocker: VR offers the possibility of depicting something that is almost impossible or difficult to implement with previous alternatives (realistic accident/emergency depiction). The simple and technically ever-improving immersiveness means that you quickly forget that you are in an exercise.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ludwig: I am particularly fascinated by virtual reality because immersive environments and thus realistic experiences can be created that would otherwise be impossible or very difficult to achieve. This allows users to immerse themselves in safe and cost-effective environments in which the individual areas of application can be experienced directly in practice. This offers completely new opportunities for learning with as many senses as possible.

Frithjof Meinke: What excites me most about virtual reality is the phenomenon of immersion. People immerse themselves completely in the simulation and lose themselves in the virtual worlds. With complete freedom of movement (6 DOF), hand tracking and appealing visualization, immersion can be further enhanced. VR makes it possible to transport users to places and situations that are difficult to access or depict in the real world – whether for geographical, logistical or safety reasons.

Which virtual reality applications do you use or develop in your organization for training and further education?

Philipp Rocker: At the Johanniter Academy in NRW, we use VIREED MED for resuscitation training, which relies on a self-based learning approach. We use i:medtasim from TriCat for scenario simulation and FWEsi (fire department deployment simulation) for leadership courses and tactical training.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ludwig: In our Immersive Collaboration Hub, we develop VR applications for many different areas: From applications for sharing experiences in the production context, to the simulation of manual activities for students, to new forms of citizen participation in urban development measures, to training in action-intensive practices. The advantage here is often that immersive simulations can be offered in which users can carry out their interactions in safe environments. We are also working on VR applications for collaboration and communication in teams.

Frithjof Meinke: We are developing VRescue, a virtual reality simulation for training processes in emergency medicine. VRescue consists of a VR application for standalone devices and a web application that serves as an authoring tool. Companies can use the web application to create individual case studies and learning scenarios so that they fit perfectly into their curriculum. This allows various learning objectives in emergency medicine to be mapped. For example, a first aid instructor can define specific scenarios for basic training, while instructors at paramedic schools can create more complex scenarios for advanced learners. Created learning plans consisting of these case studies can be assigned to individual users. They then see the cases relevant to them in the VR simulation and can work on them. Progress is recorded and training sessions are recorded for later analysis so that trainers can provide feedback at a later date – even asynchronously. Thanks to additional automated feedback, users can train independently, even from home. Our simulation places great emphasis on realism. We use hand tracking and develop our interactions according to the hand-tracking-first approach. This means that all interactions are primarily designed for hand tracking. In addition, we offer a dynamic patient simulation in which all relevant vital parameters are displayed in a medically correct manner – from the reaction to medication to respiratory distress or blood loss.

How do patients benefit from training with VR in later treatment?

Philipp Rocker: Participants have already been able to practice similar situations without much effort as often as they want. The repeatability of training situations in particular is a major advantage of using VR. However, we would never completely abandon training with real people and therefore always use VR as a supplement.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ludwig: Patients benefit indirectly from VR-based training, as it enables medical professionals to hone their skills and prepare for critical scenarios. As medical education and training in reality are very time-consuming, VR can be used to implement intensive and practical training that can increase the quality of treatment. This ranges from the training of consultation scenarios to practical training and VR-based teaching of anatomical processes.

Frithjof Meinke: Patients benefit indirectly from VR-based training, as it leads to improved training and therefore better trained professionals. For education and training organizations, VR offers a flexible and immersive training method. Self-paced training makes it possible to carry out practical exercises at a higher frequency and without additional personnel costs. Depending on the application, this can also save the use of materials. In addition, scenarios can be trained that would be difficult or very costly to depict in the real world – such as major incidents.

What are the benefits of training or education with VR for health professionals?

Philipp Rocker: For our trainees, the main advantage is the training of unusual situations. The high level of immersion means that distractions are reduced to a minimum during scenario training. Trainees have a very high level of learning outcomes and can learn procedures and sequences quickly.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ludwig: VR training offers professionals a risk-free environment to prepare for complex and critical situations that are very difficult to implement in real life. It enables repetition and consolidation of skills without putting patients at risk. Such immersive methods can therefore promote decision-making and team communication and thus increase the skills and self-confidence of professionals.

Frithjof Meinke: In my view, virtual reality is a valuable addition, but not a substitute for traditional practical training. Haptic skills in particular should be trained on physical simulators. However, VR is ideal for training procedures and processes. Our aim is to use VRescue to improve the handling and decision-making skills of specialist staff, which ultimately also benefits patients.

What special skills do health professionals have to bring with them for working with VR?

Philipp Rocker: A sound basic understanding of technology certainly doesn’t hurt. A basic interest in current technology is also beneficial for the use of VR. However, experience has shown that even technology novices have no problem with the use of the right VR application. However, we also expect a VR application to work without a lot of hardware (at best as a stand-alone solution on VR glasses) and for the menu navigation to be intuitive and user-friendly.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ludwig: Healthcare professionals should have an interest in technology and a willingness to learn new things. Of course, a basic affinity for technology is also an advantage in order to familiarize yourself with the VR systems. As VR applications and, above all, technologies are constantly evolving, a willingness to engage in lifelong learning would not be a disadvantage.

Frithjof Meinke: A fundamental degree of openness towards (still) new technologies is necessary. Fortunately, the entry barrier for VR has now been significantly lowered. With standalone devices that do not require a computer, the often complex technical set-up is no longer necessary, which greatly simplifies use. Using VR is now as easy as using a smartphone: put on the glasses, start the app and get started. The initial setup is also user-friendly these days and is explained step by step.

What risks need to be considered when using VR in the training of healthcare professionals?

Philipp Rocker: You often hear the word “motion sickness” in connection with VR glasses. This refers to the discrepancy between the displayed and actual movement. Everyone reacts differently here. This should be discussed in advance and sensitively observed by the instructor. Furthermore, VR as a method is not an all-in-one solution for good actual lessons – quite the opposite: it is even better to consider it only as a supplement in the area of sequence training or scenario practice. Skills such as taking a pulse or puncturing a vein cannot currently be trained well in VR and should definitely be practiced using other conservative methods.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ludwig: So-called motion sickness poses risks when using VR, such as eyestrain or dizziness. You notice the same thing when you try to read a book in the car. Care must also be taken from the outset to ensure that the VR environment is designed in such a way that no false expectations of real scenarios are aroused.

Frithjof Meinke: A key risk is to see VR as a panacea. VR is an excellent tool, but it is not a universal solution for all problems. This risk can be minimized by setting clear goals and defining which problem is to be solved by VR.