174 - Evaluating Virtual Reality as a Modality for Teaching and Retaining Neonatal Procedural Skills

Publication Number: 4171.174

Chad R.. Marshall, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL, United States; Collins Odhiambo, UI Health, Peoria, IL, United States; Harris Nisar, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; Avinash Gupta, University of Ilinois Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; Nicole Rau, Winnie Palmer Hospital for women and babies, Windermere, FL, United States; Jawad Javed, OSF Healthcare Children's Hospital of Illinois, Peoria, IL, United States

Background: Traditional procedural training in medical education follows the "see one, do one" model, in which learners observe a qualified provider before performing a procedure under supervision. Simulation-based education has since emerged as an effective, cost-efficient alternative, particularly for surgical training. However, limited research has examined the use of virtual reality (VR) for teaching neonatal or pediatric procedures, despite its potential to enhance engagement, realism, and skill retention.

Objective: We hypothesized that learners trained with VR would (1) demonstrate a slower decline in procedural performance over time and (2) complete the procedure more quickly than those trained using instructional videos.

Design/Methods: Fifty-one first- and second-year medical students were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a video-based instructional group or a VR simulation group, both learning umbilical venous catheter (UVC) placement. All participants were assessed on a manikin immediately after training and reassessed at one-month intervals for three months. Performance was evaluated using a standardized checklist. Group comparisons were analyzed using contingency tables and Fisher's exact test, while overall performance was compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Longitudinal box-and-whisker plots visualized performance trends over time.

Results: No statistically significant differences in total correct responses were found between the video and VR groups at baseline (p=0.143), 1 month (p=0.772), 2 months (p=0.492), or 3 months (p=0.396). Although the video group performed slightly better on specific procedural steps-likely reflecting greater familiarity with video-based learning-VR participants demonstrated consistently faster time-to-completion across all time points. Both groups maintained skill proficiency over three months with only brief monthly practice sessions, suggesting that limited reinforcement may suffice for procedural retention.

Conclusion(s): Virtual reality represents a promising modality for learning and maintaining pediatric procedural skills. Familiarity with VR technology may influence early performance and should be considered when designing curricula. While monthly testing intervals provided valuable retention data, future studies should evaluate optimal reinforcement frequency for sustained skill maintenance. These findings support the integration of VR as a complementary training tool in pediatric procedural education-particularly in institutions where access to high-fidelity simulation centers is limited.

Figure 1
Comparison of performance within the VR group between participants with no prior experience and those with some experience

Figure 2
Comparison between video and VR groups showing total correct on manikin assessment at each interval

Figure 3
Comparison between video and VR groups showing total time to complete manikin assessment at each interval, regardless of percent correct