Exploration of User Experience of an Interprofessional Virtual Reality Mass Disaster Simulation for Healthcare Professionals.

Background

While healthcare professionals are considered primary first responders and required to have first aid and CPR training, they are not often exposed to mass disaster or emergency preparedness training due to institutions' lack of necessary resources. Emergency situations can be readily created with virtual reality (VR) simulation, which offers an opportunity to simulate clinical environments for training that are immersive, repeatable and physically and emotionally safe.

Methods

This exploratory concurrent mixed-methods study examined healthcare professionals' experiences with an interprofessional VR mass disaster simulation. Health professionals (n = 18), including faculty (n = 5), clinicians (n = 7), and health profession graduate students (n = 6), with CPR and first aid certifications participated in a VR simulation. The VR simulation required participants to demonstrate skills associated with the START triage method and TeamSTEPPS® collaboration and communication skills. Data was collected using the validated Performance Assessment Communication and Teamwork (PACT) instrument and custom open-ended readiness measures, then analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis.

Results

The interprofessional VR training produced graduated professional development and variable higher-order collaborative behaviors, with learning outcomes that differ systematically based on practitioner experience levels. While VR simulation effectively developed technical skills and collaborative awareness, the high variability in complex behaviors like mutual support indicates that virtual environments may require structured debriefing and expert facilitation to achieve consistent collaborative competency development.

Conclusion

These findings position VR as a valuable foundational tool for emergency preparedness education that builds confidence and systematic approaches while serving as a developmental bridge to complex simulation and clinical experiences, particularly when implemented with robust technical support and experience-differentiated training approaches.