Virtual Reality simulation streamlines medical training for healthcare professionals

Abstract

According to World Health Organization, our planet will need more than 40 million new doctors, nurses, frontline healthcare workers, and other healthcare professionals by the year 2030, which is double the current medical workforce (1). The existing training model (a master teaching a limited number of apprentices over the course of several years) is unable to meet the level of healthcare professionals needed. Empirical evidence from other industries demonstrates virtual reality (VR) technology is an effective and efficient way of improving training. VR technology allows users to interact with a computer-simulated environment. VR implementation in medicine focuses on the rapid acceleration of human learning in medical training. It aims to provide technology for medical staff to reskill and upskill more effectively, without a large time investment. The combination of cognitive training in an experience-based learning virtual environment enabled by advanced VR software and hardware provides several advantages: (1) unrestricted training time, increased training access during COVID-19 restrictions; (2) remote training access: growing demand for health professionals in countries with less developed infrastructure; (3) modernizing standards: during simulated training competency evaluations for residents are performed. (1) Increased trainee engagement and knowledge retention (70%) compared to videos (10%) or lecturing (5%) (2) Decreased training time, 29% less OR training time due to skill transfer from VR to OR (3) Decreased training costs. An intelligent VR training simulation for dental healthcare professionals results in a proven skills transfer and embodied cognition in a fail-safe environment, in scalable training with low-cost and on-demand VR software, as well as in progress achieved through learning curricula faster, at lower cost and with the highest fidelity.