As a company dedicated to advancing medical education through immersive technologies, we at i3 Simulations are thrilled to see our product Resuscitation VR (UK Edition and Spanish Edition for Paediatrics) included and evaluated in this comprehensive analysis just published in Resuscitation Plus journal.

The review, led by Dr. Adam Cheng and an international team of resuscitation experts, aimed to determine if AR and VR training improves key outcomes compared to traditional instructional methods for basic and advanced life support. They examined 19 studies in total, including several that utilised VR to train healthcare professionals and lay people on critical resuscitation skills.

While some studies were mixed, there were notable positive findings for VR:

• Four studies found that VR training led to significantly higher knowledge scores compared to non-VR methods like video or classroom instruction. One study even showed improved knowledge retention 5 weeks after VR training.
• Some studies reported improved overall CPR performance scores and chest compression fraction (less hands-off time) in VR-trained groups.
• Participants trained with a gamified VR neonatal resuscitation program performed equally well as those trained with a high-fidelity manikin simulator.

As one of the VR products evaluated, we are encouraged that Resuscitation VR could potentially enhance providers’ cognitive knowledge and support effective skill acquisition in combination with hands-on training. The engaging, immersive nature of VR may help reinforce proper techniques.

The review highlights the need for further research to optimise how VR is integrated into life support training. Combining VR with proven educational strategies like feedback, debriefing and deliberate practice could unlock its full potential, as we have with Resuscitation VR, to provide an evidence-based, scalable training solution.

The science of resuscitation education is rapidly evolving, and innovative technologies like VR will play an increasingly important role. We applaud the authors for this landmark review and look forward to further collaborations to rigorously study VR’s impact on provider performance and patient outcomes. Together, we can harness the power of immersive learning to help more people save lives.

Read the full study below, and check out the other research studies i3 Simulations has supported here.