The application of virtual environment radiotherapy for RTT training: A scoping review

Andrea Lastrucci; Claudio Votta; Eva Serventi; Patrizia Cornacchione; Simona Francioni; Yannick Wandael; Cinzia Talamonti; Renzo Ricci

doi:10.1016/j.jmir.2024.02.013

The application of virtual environment radiotherapy for RTT training: A scoping review

J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2024 Feb 24:S1939-8654(24)00025-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2024.02.013. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Andrea Lastrucci¹, Claudio Votta², Eva Serventi³, Patrizia Cornacchione², Simona Francioni⁴, Yannick Wandael⁵, Cinzia Talamonti⁶, Renzo Ricci⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Allied Health Professions, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, 50134 Florence, Italy. Electronic address: andrea.lastrucci@unifi.it.
² Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Dipartimento di Diagnostica per immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Rome, Italy.
³ Radiation Oncology Unit, Santo Stefano Hospital, Department of Allied Health Professions, Azienda USL Toscana Centro, Prato 59100, Italy.
⁴ UOC politiche e formazione del personale e relazioni sindacali, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, 50134 Florence, Italy.
⁵ Department of Allied Health Professions, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, 50134 Florence, Italy.
⁶ Medical Physics Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences `Mario Serio', University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy.

PMID: 38403521
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmir.2024.02.013

Abstract

Background: Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training (VERT) is a virtual tool used in radiotherapy with a dual purpose: patient education and student training. This scoping review aims to identify the applications of VERT to acquire new skills in specific activities of Radiation Therapists (RTTs) clinical practice and education as reported in the literature. This scoping review will identify any gaps in this field and provide suggestions for future research.

Methods: In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews and Arskey and O'Malley framework, an electronic search was conducted to retrieve complete original studies, reporting the use and implementation of VERT for teaching skills to RTTs. Studies were searched in PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases and included retrieved articles if they investigated the use of VERT for RTTs training.

Results: Of 251 titles, 16 articles fulfilled the selection criteria and most of the studies were qualitative evaluation studies (n=5) and pilot studies (n=4). The specific use of VERT for RTTs training was grouped into four categories (Planning CT, Set-up, IGRT, and TPS).

Conclusion: The use of VERT was described for each category by examining the interaction of the students or trainee RTTs in performing each phase within the virtual environment and describing their perceptions. This system Virtual Reality (VR) enables the development of specific motor skills without interfering and pressurising clinical resources by using clinical equipment in a risk-free offline environment, improving the clinical confidence of students or trainee RTTs. However, even if VR can be integrated into the RTTs training with a great advantage, VERT has still not been embraced. This mainly due to the presence of significant issues and limitations, such as inadequate coverage within the current literature, software and hardware costs.

Keywords: Education; Radiotherapy; VERT; Virtual reality.

Publication types

Review