Comparing Conventional Physician-Led Education with VR Education for Pacemaker Implantation: A Randomized Study

Authors

DROZDOVA Adela POLOKOVA Karin JIRAVSKÝ Otakar JIRAVSKA GODULA Bogna CHOVANCIK Jan RANIC Ivan JIRAVSKÝ Filip HECKO Jan SKNOURIL Libor

Year of publication 2024
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Healthcare
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Medicine

Citation
Web https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/10/976
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12100976
Keywords patient education; virtual reality; pacemaker implantation; medical technology in education; health outcomes; preoperative anxiety
Description Introduction: Education of patients prior to an invasive procedure is pivotal for good cooperation and knowledge retention. Virtual reality (VR) is a fast-developing technology that helps educate both medical professionals and patients. Objective: To prove non-inferiority of VR education compared to conventional education in patients prior to the implantation of a permanent pacemaker (PPM). Methods: 150 participants scheduled for an elective implantation of a PPM were enrolled in this prospective study and randomized into two groups: the VR group (n = 75) watched a 360 degrees video about the procedure using the VR headset Oculus Meta Quest 2, while the conventional group (n = 75) was educated by a physician. Both groups filled out a questionnaire to assess the quality of education pre- and in-hospital, their knowledge of the procedure, and their subjective satisfaction. Results: There was no significant difference in the quality of education. There was a non-significant trend towards higher educational scores in the VR group. The subgroup with worse scores was older than the groups with higher scores (82 vs. 76 years, p = 0.025). Anxiety was reduced in 92% of participants. Conclusion: VR proved to be non-inferior to conventional education. It helped to reduce anxiety and showed no adverse effects.

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