Improving Neurology Resident Education in Neuroanatomy Using Virtual Reality Platform
Ayush Gupta1, Derek Bass2, Christopher Barton3, Wanyu Zhang4, Maiying Kong5, Daniela Terson de Paleville6
1Neurological sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2School of Medicine, 3Pediatrics, 4Gastroenterology Hepatology Nutrition, 5Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, 6Physiology, University of Louisville
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR)-based neuroanatomy curriculum in improving knowledge of arterial, veinous and ventricular anatomy of the brain.
To study engagement and readiness of use of VR platform as a means of education among neurology trainees.
Background:
Neuroanatomy education is fundamental to neurology training, directly impacting clinical decision-making and performance on in-service examinations. VR platforms have shown promise in medical and surgical education but remain under explored in neurology resident training. We aimed to assess whether a structured VR curriculum improves residents’ neuroanatomy knowledge, and perceived engagement.
Design/Methods:
We conducted a prospective mixed-methods study involving neurology residents. Thirty residents (15 adult neurology, 15 child neurology) participated in investigator guided three 30-minute VR sessions using the Organon™ platform covering cerebral arterial and venous and ventricular anatomy. Assessments included pre-test, immediate post-test, and two-week post-test questionnaires. Perceptions of VR were assessed with the validated Spatial Presence in Immersive Environments (SP-IE) questionnaire.
Results:
Overall scores improved significantly across time (p<0.0001), increasing from a mean of 8.6 (SD 2.8) pre-exposure to 11.4 (SD 2.3) immediately post-exposure and 11.2 (SD 3.1) at two weeks. Pairwise comparisons confirmed significant improvement both immediately (Δ=+2.8, p<0.0001) and at two weeks (Δ=+2.6, p=0.0001). Sub-score analysis showed parallel gains across arterial, venous, and ventricular content, although arterial scores did not improve significantly immediate post exposure. Domain–total correlations supported content validity, with strongest associations at two weeks (arterial r=0.81, venous r=0.76, ventricular r=0.85). Engagement ratings were uniformly high, with residents reporting enhanced spatial understanding, enjoyment, and insignificant cyber fatigue with SP-IE of 27.4 (SD 2.9).
Conclusions:
Exposure to VR curriculum can lead to enhanced learning of Neuroanatomy among neurology trainees and can serve as an additional tool to regular classrooms. Further research is required to study its impact on clinical care and inservice exam scores.
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