279 - Virtual Reality Curriculum Increases Pediatric Clerkship Students’ Knowledge of Congenital Heart Disease

Poster Number: 279
Publication Number: 279.331

Sarah E. Blonsky, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Rachel E. Henning, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa, WI, United States; Emily M. Masterson, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; David Axelrod David Axelrod, Stanford, Palo Alto, CA, United States; Stephanie S. Handler, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States; Sunkyung Yu, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Sonal T. Owens, 4234713714, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Background: The Stanford Virtual Heart (SVH) is an innovative virtual reality (VR) learning modality for medical trainees to better understand the anatomy and physiology of various forms of common congenital heart disease (CHD). In a prior study, SVH was shown to improve knowledge of CHD in pediatric residents during their cardiology elective.

Objective: The objective of this project was to investigate the impact of this VR educational curriculum on pediatric medical students' knowledge of CHD during their pediatric clerkship.

Design/Methods: In this multi-center study, medical students at two large academic medical centers participated in the SVH educational experience during their pediatric clerkship. An assessment of medical student knowledge of CHD was administered: medical students in the control group completed SVH after the assessment and medical students in the intervention group completed SVH before the assessment. Assignment to control or interventional group was based on time of enrollment, stratified by first or second half of the medical calendar year (Center 1) or by month-long rotation (Center 2). A validated 27-question assessment tool was used which focused on knowledge pertaining to six common CHDs: atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, aortic stenosis, pulmonic stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, and patent ductus arteriosus. A qualitative survey about the experience was also administered. Results were compared between the control and interventional groups.

Results: A total of 373 medical students (194 control, 179 intervention) participated in the study. Medical students in the intervention group performed significantly better on the assessment compared to the control group at both medical centers (Table 1). Over 92% of medical students rated the VR experience as ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to use. More than 99% of medical students recommended integration of the program into the pediatric clerkship curriculum and found the learning experience ‘very enjoyable’ or ‘enjoyable.’ Medical students described the VR experience as "amazing", "such a great learning tool", and "an awesome experience and like nothing I’ve ever done before."Conclusion(s): SVH was easily incorporated into two medical school pediatric clerkships. The curriculum significantly improved understanding of CHD. Almost universally, medical students found the experience enjoyable and believed it should be incorporated into the curriculum.
Table 1. Total assessment scores (27 question validated tool)