Using Virtual Reality to Support Community-Based Medical Education: A Mixed Methods Study

Community-based medical education (CBME) is valued as a vital component of preparing medical students for practice but is often problematic to deliver due to placement capacity. Virtual Reality (VR) has the possibility to provide students with learning experiences that help them to understand community structures and health and social care needs in these settings. The aim of our study was to explore medical students’ engagement, presence, experiences and perceptions of a VR GP home visit, alongside the experiences and perceptions of educators. This mixed methods study designed and piloted a 360-degree VR simulation of a general practice (GP) home visit to support CBME in a respiratory case. Pre-questionnaires assessed all participants’ digital competence and VR experience, followed by post-tests for students measuring their engagement (User Engagement Scale) and presence (Multimodal Presence Scale). Focus groups were conducted to explore students’ and educators’ experiences and perceptions. Quantitative data were analysed using correlation, regression and mediation analysis, whilst reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify themes from focus groups. Forty-five medical students and 14 educators participated in the VR intervention, with 31 students and 14 educators contributing to focus groups. Results showed that VR interest was significantly associated with participants’ engagement, mediated by presence. Physical presence scored highest, while social/self-presence was lower, reflecting limited interactivity. Qualitative findings highlighted VR’s immersive potential, and its use a complementary tool to support community-based medical education.
VR CBME focussed scenarios have the potential to address placement capacity issues and complement existing simulation-based education. They should be carefully designed to balance immersion and interactivity, and reflect more complex social scenarios to capitalise on the safe, formative environment VR provides. They should also be cognisant that digital competency in students doesn’t correlate with engagement.