Development of an Immersive VR Medical Training Simulation Platform

Healthcare training facilities face challenges in providing realistic, risk-free, and scalable training environments for medical students and interns. Physical simulation labs and real-world practice are limited by space, equipment costs, and safety concerns. Additionally, standard educational methods may lack the contextual engagement necessary for effective skill development.

A mid-sized healthcare training institution seeking innovative, cost-effective ways to enhance medical education through immersive technology.

• Create a VR-based training application that immerses medical trainees in realistic hospital scenarios to enhance skill acquisition and decision-making.
• Enable scenario-based training with branching paths and outcome simulations to improve learning outcomes.
• Develop a scalable solution that operates on standalone VR hardware, with minimal setup and no dependency on external controllers, supporting eye-tracking interactions.
• Incorporate an evaluation and scoring system to assess user performance based on decision accuracy and response time.
• Design a modular system supporting scenario creation, updates, and remote data/download management to facilitate continuous content development.
• Ensure compatibility with widely used VR headsets, emphasizing performance and accessibility.

• Scenario selection menu for choosing training scenarios based on topic and difficulty.
• Presentation of 360° stereoscopic videos depicting realistic hospital situations, with minimal interactivity to promote presence.
• Decision points at the end of each scenario segment where trainees select actions via gaze or minimal input.
• Branching scenario flow allowing subsequent scenarios to depend on prior decisions, enabling complex training paths.
• A scoring and feedback system that records performance metrics such as accuracy and response time after scenario completion.
• An internal scenario editing tool supporting conditional transitions stored in JSON for flexible content creation.
• Content management features enabling scenarios to be downloaded dynamically from a server to minimize app size and support updates.

• Remote server hosting scenario assets for download upon user request
• Configuration management system for scenario creation and updates
• Performance tracking module to integrate user scores and analytics
• Potential future integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS) or hospital data systems

• Support for devices with limited storage, enabling scenario downloads over 2GB to be streamed or downloaded dynamically
• Application stability and performance optimized for Meta Quest hardware, ensuring smooth operation at 30fps
• Minimal latency in scenario loading and transitions
• Secure data storage for user performance metrics and scenario configuration files
• Scalability to support numerous simultaneous users for institutional deployments

The implementation of this VR training platform is expected to significantly enhance medical education by providing immersive, interactive scenarios that improve decision-making skills and knowledge retention. It aims to replace or supplement physical training resources, reducing logistical costs and space requirements. Targeted results include increased training efficiency, measurable performance improvement in trainees, and a scalable platform adaptable to multiple scenarios and future content updates.