Enhancing Mass Casualty Triage Through Virtual Reality Simulation (VR-MCI-RCT)

To Evaluate Whether Virtual Reality Compared to Standard Education Improves Nursing Students' Ability to Triage in a Simulated Mass Casualty Incident- a RCT

This interventional study aims to investigate whether Virtual Reality (VR) compared to traditional education and training, can enhance the correct triage abilities of nursing students in simulated mass casualty incidents (MCI). The primary research question seeks to answer if VR compared to Standard education supports students' ability to triage correctly in a simulated MCI situation. Additionally, this study aims to address the following secondary questions: Does VR compared to standard education have an effect on the time to triage in a simulated MCI situation? And, does VR compared to Standard education have an effect on theoretical knowledge retention concerning triage in MCI situations? In the interventional group, participants will utilize VR for MCI training and learning, while the control group will undergo standard education, including lectures and paper exercises. The researchers will compare the two groups of nursing students to assess whether VR yields better outcomes in MCI triage education.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Training; Triage; Learning; Mass Casualty Incident
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Virtual Reality

Detailed Description

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving nursing students from a university in Stockholm, Sweden. The students are randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either VR (intervention) or standard training in triaging during a mass casualty Incident. Both groups of participants will receive the same lecture on disaster events and triage using the same method before undergoing triage training either with VR support or traditional paper-based training. To achieve a power of 0.80 and a p-value of 0.05, a total of 60 participants are required (control n=30, intervention n=30). However, all students (approximately 100) will be invited to participate in the study to avoid excluding those who wish to take part in the study. The primary outcome measure is the students' ability to triage correctly. Secondary outcome measures include knowledge and knowledge retention, as well as the time taken to triage correctly. Knowledge tests will be conducted approximately one week after training and again 3-6 months after completing the training. The knowledge test consists of a questionnaire with 20 multiple-choice questions used in previous studies.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Veronica AC Lindström, RN, PhD; Phone Number: +46703428157; Email: veronica.lindstrom@shh.se
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Sara Heldring, RN, MSc; Phone Number: +46707653931; Email: sara.heldring@shh.se

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • Stockholm, Sweden, 11428
    • Recruiting
    • Sophiahemmet University, Lindstedtvägen 8
    • Contact: Sara Heldring, RN, MSc; Phone Number: +46707653931; Email: sara.heldring@shh.se
    • Contact: Mari Lundberg, Professor, PhD; Phone Number: +4684062091; Email: mari.lundberg@shh.se
    • Principal Investigator: Veronica Lindström, Professor, RN, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Nursing students registered for a course in disaster medicine/emergency care that is conducted during their fifth semester (out of 6) in the nursing program.

Exclusion Criteria:

Does not meet inclusion criteria

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Using Virtual Reality for training and learning mass casualty incidents; The nursing students use glasses and handcontrollers (High Fidelity Simulation) in the VR scenario for training and learning mass casualty incidents.	Other: Virtual Reality; The nursing students use glasses and handcontrollers (High Fidelity Simulation) in the VR scenario for training and learning mass casualty incidents.; Other Names: Training mass casualty incidents
No Intervention: Standard education and training; Standard education, including lectures and paper exercises

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of participants performing correct triage	Measuring if VR compared to Standard education has an effect on the frequency of correctly triage	From enrollment, theoretical education and performing training on mass casualty incidents with or without Virtual Reality

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time range on performing correct triage on 10 injured	Measuring if VR compared to Standard education has an effect on the time to triage correctly (10 patients) in a simulated MCI situation	From enrollment, theoretical education and performing training on mass casualty incidents with or without Virtual Reality

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of participants with correct answers in theoretical tests	To measure if VR compared to Standard education has an effect on theoretical knowledge retention	From enrollment, the training on mass casualty incidents with or without Virtual Reality and measuring nursing students theoretical knowledge retention on triage 1 week- 3-6 months after training.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Sophiahemmet University
• Collaborators: Falck Ambulance A/S; CrashCourse AB
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Veronica Lindström, PhD, Sophiahemmet University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 8, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 5, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 5, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): September 13, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 13, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 12, 2023
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Virtual Reality; Triage; Learning; Nursing Students; Mass casualty incidents
• Other Study ID Numbers: EPM:2023-02154-02

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: The data analyzed and presented will be available from the PI and/or corresponding author (when published) on reasonable request

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No