Development and usability testing of a fully immersive VR simulation for REBOA training

Dublin Core

Title

Development and usability testing of a fully immersive VR simulation for REBOA training

Subject

REBOA, Virtual reality, Trauma resuscitation, Medical education

Description

Background Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is a potentially life-saving procedure

for bleeding trauma patients. Being a rare and complex procedure performed in extreme situations, repetitive train-
ing of REBOA teams is critical. Evidence-based guidelines on how to train REBOA are missing, although simulation-
based training has been shown to be effective but can be costly and complex. We aimed to determine the feasibility

and acceptance of REBOA training using a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) REBOA simulation, as well as assess
the confidence in conducting the REBOA procedure before and after the training.

Methods Prospective feasibility pilot study of prehospital emergency physicians and paramedics in Bern, Swit-
zerland, from November 2020 until March 2021. Baseline characteristics of trainees, prior training and experience

in REBOA and with VR, variables of media use (usability: system usability scale, immersion/presence: Slater-Usoh-
Steed, workload: NASA-TLX, user satisfaction: USEQ) as well as confidence prior and after VR training were accessed.

Results REBOA training in VR was found to be feasible without relevant VR-specific side-effects. Usability (SUS median
77.5, IQR 71.3–85) and sense of presence and immersion (Slater-Usoh-Steed median 4.8, IQR 3.8–5.5) were good,
the workload without under-nor overstraining (NASA-TLX median 39, IQR 32.8–50.2) and user satisfaction high (USEQ
median 26, IQR 23–29). Confidence of trainees in conducting REBOA increased significantly after training (p<0.001).

Conclusions Procedural training of the REBOA procedure in immersive virtual reality is possible with a good accept-
ance and high usability. REBOA VR training can be an important part of a training curriculum, with the virtual reality-
specific advantages of a time- and instructor-independent learning.

Creator

T. Birrenbach1*, R. Wespi1

, W. E. Hautz1
, J. Berger1
, P. R. Schwab1,2, G. Papagiannakis3,4,5, A. K. Exadaktylos1 and

T. C. Sauter1

Source

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-023-00545-6

Date

2023

Contributor

Peri Irawan

Format

pdf

Language

english

Type

text

Files

Citation

T. Birrenbach1*, R. Wespi1 , W. E. Hautz1 , J. Berger1 , P. R. Schwab1,2, G. Papagiannakis3,4,5, A. K. Exadaktylos1 and T. C. Sauter1, “Development and usability testing of a fully immersive VR simulation for REBOA training,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed April 11, 2026, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/12209.