Are you planning to develop medical training with Virtual Reality for your organization? We imagine you have some questions or want to know what to look for when developing and purchasing a Virtual Reality training course. In this third part of our series on VR in healthcare, we give you the four steps for developing medical training with Virtual Reality.
In part one, we described two situations in which Virtual Reality can be applied: for rehabilitation purposes and training of healthcare personnel. Of course, these are not the only two possible situations. Virtual Reality is still evolving, so the possibilities are endless.
In the second part, we gave five benefits of using VR in healthcare, namely:
- Practice with Virtual Reality is more fun and effective
- Virtual Reality can be used to accurately collect data
- Virtual Reality can be used remotely
- Making mistakes in a Virtual Reality training session is no big deal
- VR can be financially beneficial
If you have read through both blogs and are still reading this article with great interest, chances are you are really thinking about deploying Virtual Reality within your organization. Therefore, we will present 4 steps to set up a successful VR training.
Define the problem or goal
You’ve probably already thought about the potential of Virtual Reality for medical training. Virtual Reality is cool, but of course, its effectiveness is more important. Therefore, it’s good to put your concoctions on paper and then set concrete goals. In this article, we will tell you more about the first step in creating a serious game or VR game.
A good objective is relevant, specific, measurable, achievable and time-bound. Suppose you want to develop a Virtual Reality game to train medical staff faster because recruitment of new healthcare employees ins on the rise each month. In this situation, an objective could be as follows: “Train medical staff 20% faster within 3 months of launching the VR game”. In other words, if it currently takes 10 weeks to give someone complete training, the VR game should ensure it happens within 8 weeks.
Find a studio
If you think VR is the solution to your problem, and you want to have a VR game developed, chances are you’re going to need a studio. There are many VR or game studios out there. Therefore, it can be quite difficult to make a good choice. Of course, it is always good to contact several studios and make a pre-selection based on your feelings. However, it is important to evaluate the chosen studios by looking at:
- The studio’s portfolio: do they make mainly entertainment games or realistic simulations or are both aspects covered?
- To what extent has the studio developed similar VR solutions?
- What is the effectiveness of their solutions? Have they chalked any successes or won awards?
- Do they work with the right domain experts?
- What are the specializations within their development team and are there VR and game development experts?
Finally, it is important to discuss the limitations of the studio by answering questions like; Do they only develop the game? Do they also help with the purchase of VR glasses and the implementation of the game? Do they do target audience research?
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Test the Virtual Reality training
You should also keep in mind that VR can only be properly tested in a VR mode. We advise that VR goggles must be purchased during VR training development. This way the developers can run elaborate tests. When buying VR goggles, it is good to do enough research on the different brands and types. Cheap glasses are often not a good choice. Cheap hardware degrades the experience and have low processing capacities.
Next, testing should be done with the target audience during development. Involving the target group before, during, and after development helps to create the best possible VR project. In addition, It also helps you gauge excitement among healthcare workers before product launch.
Implementation and use of Virtual Reality
The Virtual Reality user must be properly guided. The first time can be quite exciting for someone to experience the immersion effects of VR. Therefore, it is wise to discuss with the studio whether the employees should be trained to use VR or whether one specialist should be appointed within your organization who can guide employees on training with VR training.
Distribution can also be an important consideration. Is the target audience intended to use VR at home or on location? Home use, of course, brings with it a somewhat more complex distribution plan. The equipment must be brought to the target group and possibly the training results must also be monitored online via a dashboard. Again, a studio can help with this.
Want to know more about Virtual Reality in healthcare? Do you have an idea for a VR game within your organization? Contact Tim Laning to discuss it:
