Educational Effects of Training With a Virtual Reality-Based Objective Structured Clinical Examination Software

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Introduction Hiroshima University, in collaboration with BeRISE Corp, developed a virtual reality-based objective structured clinical examination (VR OSCE TM ) practice software, as an educational tool to enhance clinical skills. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of training with VR OSCE TM for medical students. Methods Twenty medical students participated in this prospective, pre- and post-intervention study. They conducted medical interviews and physical examinations of simulated patients using VR OSCE TM and presented their findings. Two instructing doctors assessed and scored their performance based on predefined criteria before and after training. A paired t-test was used to analyze the pre- and post-training scores of five parameters: (a) safety checks, (b) patient care, (c) medical interviews and physical examinations, (d) presentation skills, and (e) overall performance. A questionnaire survey was also administered to assess participants’ perceptions of VR OSCE TM . Results Post-training scores significantly improved across all parameters compared with pre-training scores ( p < 0.01). Scores for (a) safety checks (Pre: 6.0 ± 1.9, Post: 8.6 ± 1.8) and (b) patient care (Pre: 4.6 ± 1.8, Post: 7.8 ± 1.1) were close to the OSCE passing threshold prior to training. Notably, there were remarkable improvements in scores for (c) medical interviews and physical examinations (Pre: 4.1 ± 1.7, Post: 7.3 ± 1.2) and (d) presentation skills (Pre: 3.5 ± 1.3, Post: 7.0 ± 1.6). Scores for (e) overall performance (Pre: 3.8 ± 1.3, Post: 7.2 ± 1.5) mirrored these improvements. The survey indicated that all participants recognized the effectiveness of training with VR OSCE TM as a component of OSCE certification preparation. Conclusion This study is the first to evaluate the educational impact of VR OSCE™ training in medical students. VR-based training appears to be effective, likely due to its immersive nature. These findings suggest that VR-based digital simulation has substantial potential to enhance medical education.