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Effectiveness of teaching basic life support resuscitation using virtual reality - a randomized controlled trial.

Piotr Konrad Leszczyński, Klaudia Weronika Jędral, Maria Malm, Bożena Muraczyńska, Grzegorz Kobuszewski

BMC Medical Education · 2025-09-25 · Randomised trial

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Knowledge and skills in Basic Life Support (BLS) resuscitation procedures are essential for the correct recognition of circulatory arrest and the implementation of rapid management, resulting in increased survival rate of the victim. Numerous techniques for teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are being used, yet there is insufficient data on the effectiveness of using virtual reality (VR). The aim of the study was to evaluate the short- and three-month didactic effect in teaching BLS procedures and chest compressions using modern virtual reality (VR) technology. METHODS: A total of 205 subjects were included in the study, assigned by randomized controlled design to a study group (A) implementing VR training and a control group (B) participating in traditional training. The participant group consisted of 73.91% women and 26.09% men, with a mean age of 21.80 ± 5.46 years. The process was divided into two stages, which assessed the level of knowledge and skills immediately after the specific type of training, as well as three months later. Practical skills were assessed in detail according to a checklist. The authors conducted a series of statistical analyses to compare the groups and indicate relationships. A significance level of α = 0.05 was assumed for all analyses. RESULTS: The mean score of the overall quality of resuscitation immediately after the training in case of VR course participants was M = 45.61% (SD = 34.13), while that of the traditional course participants was M = 67.0% (SD = 32.56), with p < 0.001. The level of knowledge obtained was found to be comparable (p = 0.269). High satisfaction levels were identified by participants in both groups. The three-month evaluation (three months after the training) showed no significant intergroup differences (p = 0.218). The mean quality of resuscitation was M = 60.32% for the traditional group and 54.32% for the VR group. In the long term, it is noteworthy that there was a significant decrease in the quality of chest compressions after traditional training (by 6.68 p.p.), wherein this parameter increased among VR course participants (by 8.67 p.p.). CONCLUSIONS: Teaching methods involving virtual reality to train CPR gain three-month effectiveness that is comparable to traditional training, despite the lack of this conclusion confirmed in short-term evaluation. Modern VR technologies make it possible to achieve optimal first aid teaching results, minimizing the participation of instructors, and ensure perfect repetition of procedures, which is applicable to teaching large groups with a high level of satisfaction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN71238249, 23/10/2024.

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