Exploring User Needs in the Development of a Virtual Reality-Based Advanced Life Support Training Platform: Exploratory Usability Study

Nathan Moore; Soojeong Yoo; Philip Poronnik; Martin Brown; Naseem Ahmadpour

doi:10.2196/20797

Exploring User Needs in the Development of a Virtual Reality-Based Advanced Life Support Training Platform: Exploratory Usability Study

JMIR Serious Games. 2020 Aug 7;8(3):e20797. doi: 10.2196/20797.

Authors

Nathan Moore¹, Soojeong Yoo², Philip Poronnik³, Martin Brown⁴, Naseem Ahmadpour²

Affiliations

¹ Research and Education Network, Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, Australia.
² Design Lab, Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
³ School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁴ Innovative Technologies, Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal Westmead Operations, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

PMID: 32763877
PMCID: PMC7442950
DOI: 10.2196/20797

Abstract

Background: Traditional methods of delivering Advanced Life Support (ALS) training and reaccreditation are resource-intensive and costly. Interactive simulations and gameplay using virtual reality (VR) technology can complement traditional training processes as a cost-effective, engaging, and flexible training tool.

Objective: This exploratory study aimed to determine the specific user needs of clinicians engaging with a new interactive VR ALS simulation (ALS-SimVR) application to inform the ongoing development of such training platforms.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with experienced clinicians (n=10, median age=40.9 years) following a single playthrough of the application. All clinicians have been directly involved in the delivery of ALS training in both clinical and educational settings (median years of ALS experience=12.4; all had minimal or no VR experience). Interviews were supplemented with an assessment of usability (using heuristic evaluation) and presence.

Results: The ALS-SimVR training app was well received. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed five main areas of user needs that can inform future design efforts for creating engaging VR training apps: affordances, agency, diverse input modalities, mental models, and advanced roles.

Conclusions: This study was conducted to identify the needs of clinicians engaging with ALS-SimVR. However, our findings revealed broader design considerations that will be crucial in guiding future work in this area. Although aligning the training scenarios with accepted teaching algorithms is important, our findings reveal that improving user experience and engagement requires careful attention to technology-specific issues such as input modalities.

Keywords: Advanced Cardiac Life Support; Advanced Life Support; clinical training; education; serious games; virtual reality.

©Nathan Moore, Soojeong Yoo, Philip Poronnik, Martin Brown, Naseem Ahmadpour. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (http://games.jmir.org), 07.08.2020.