The use of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies has been extensively researched in surgical and anatomical education. VR provides a lifelike and interactive environment where healthcare providers can practice and refresh their skills in a safe environment. VR has been shown to be as effective as traditional medical education teaching methods, with the potential to provide more cost-effective and convenient means of curriculum delivery, especially in rural and remote areas or in environments with limited access to hands-on training. In this sense, VR offers the potential to be used to support resuscitation training for healthcare providers such as the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP). The NRP program is an evidence-based and standardized approach for training healthcare providers on the resuscitation of the newborn. In this article, we describe a VR simulation environment that was designed and developed to refresh the skills of NRP providers. To validate this platform, we compared the VR-NRP simulation with exposure to 360-degree immersive video. We found that both VR technologies were positively viewed by healthcare professionals and performed very similarly to each other. However, the VR simulation provided a significantly increased feeling of presence. Furthermore, participants found the VR simulation more useful, leading to improved experiential learning outcomes. Also, participants using VR simulation reported higher confidence in certain NRP skills, such as proper mask placement and newborn response evaluation. This research represents a step forward in understanding how VR and related extended reality (XR) technologies can be applied for effective, immersive medical education, with potential benefits for remote and rural healthcare providers.

翻译：虚拟现实（VR）技术在手术与解剖学教育中的应用已得到广泛研究。VR能够提供逼真且交互式的环境，使医疗工作者能够在安全的环境中练习并巩固其技能。研究表明，VR与传统医学教学方法具有同等效果，并有望提供更具成本效益且便捷的课程传授方式，特别是在农村、偏远地区或实践培训机会有限的环境中。在此背景下，VR具备支持医疗工作者开展复苏培训（如新生儿复苏计划（NRP））的潜力。NRP项目是基于证据的标准化培训方案，旨在指导医疗工作者掌握新生儿复苏技能。本文介绍了一种专为巩固NRP操作者技能而设计与开发的VR模拟环境。为验证该平台，我们将VR-NRP模拟与360度沉浸式视频体验进行对比。研究发现，医疗专业人员对两种VR技术均持积极态度，且二者表现高度相似。然而，VR模拟显著提升了使用者的临场感。此外，参与者认为VR模拟更具实用性，从而获得更优的体验式学习效果。同时，使用VR模拟的参与者报告称，其在特定NRP技能（如正确放置面罩和评估新生儿反应）方面信心更高。本研究为理解VR及相关扩展现实（XR）技术如何应用于高效、沉浸式的医学教育迈出了重要一步，对偏远地区医疗工作者具有潜在益处。