A Pilot Randomized Crossover Study on Stress Responses in Paramedicine Students: Virtual Reality Versus Live Simulation

Ondřej Kounovský; Petr Bureš; Miroslava Kuklová

doi:10.46585/hc.2024.2.2572

Autoři

Ondřej Kounovský Zdravotnická záchranná služba Ústeckého kraje (ZZS ÚK), České vysoké účení technické (ČVUT) https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6357-512X
Petr Bureš Emergency Medical Services of the Ustecky Region https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6399-6271
Miroslava Kuklová Emergency Medical Services of the Ustecky Region https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9661-9725

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46585/hc.2024.2.2572

Klíčová slova:

paramedicine, salivary cortisol, salivary testosterone, stress, virtual reality

Abstrakt

Introduction: Emergency Medical Workers frequently encounter high-stress situations, such as traffic accidents
and sudden deaths, which can negatively affect their mental health. Building psychological resilience through
training is essential, and recent methods like virtual reality (VR) gamification have been introduced to improve
learning outcomes. Aim: This pilot randomized crossover study aims to compare the stress responses of thirdyear Paramedicine students during a severe traffic accident scenario using either a live actor simulation or a
VR-based platform (XVR simulation). Methods: Ten third-year Paramedicine students were randomly assigned
to start with either a live actor simulation or a virtual reality scenario using the XVR program. After completing
the first scenario, participants underwent a 7 -10 day washout period before switching to the alternate scenario.
Physiological stress markers, including salivary cortisol, testosterone, and heart rate variability (HRV), were measured before and after each scenario. Subjective stress was assessed using a ten-point visual analog scale (VAS).
Results: No significant differences were observed in cortisol concentration changes (p = 0.576), testosterone levels (p = 0.878), or HRV (p = 0.156) between the virtual reality and live actor simulations. However, students perceived the live actor scenario as more stressful than the virtual reality simulation (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Both
virtual reality and live simulations effectively recreate high-stress scenarios, but students reported higher stress
during live actor simulations. These results indicate that VR could be a viable and cost-effective alternative for
training Paramedicine students. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess the long-term
impact of VR training on stress adaptation

Stažení

Data o stažení nejsou doposud dostupná.

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