NCT07304570

VR-Live Hybrid Neurosurgery Clerkship:Boosting Neurosurgical Presence & Decisions

Enhancing Clinical Presence and Decision-Making in Neurosurgical Clerkships: A Hybrid Model Integrating Virtual Reality and Live-Streamed Encounters

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 112 (actual)
• Sponsor: West China Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this randomized controlled trial was to learn whether a hybrid telemedicine curriculum that combines virtual-reality (VR) simulation with interactive live-streamed neurosurgical cases improves neurosurgical intentionality and clinical decision-making in fourth-year medical students whose clerkships were disrupted by COVID-19. It also assessed technical skills, theoretical knowledge, and student experience. The main questions it aimed to answer were: Does the 4-week hybrid model (VR + live cases) produce greater gains in neurosurgical intentionality and decision-making than traditional online videos and readings? Does the hybrid model improve VR technical skill performance and student satisfaction without harming theoretical knowledge? Researchers randomized 112 students 1:1 to the hybrid intervention (15 h VR neuroanatomy/procedures + 20 h live-streamed surgeries/ICU rounds + real-time Q\&A) or a time-matched control group (pre-recorded videos, textbook readings, asynchronous forums). Participants in both groups: Completed 40 hours of remote content over 4 weeks Were tested at baseline and post-course on intentionality (modified Zwisch scale), decision-making (neurosurgery-specific SCT), 50-item MCQ knowledge, and VR proficiency metrics Joined focus groups and rated satisfaction on a 5-point Likert scale

Conditions

• Virtual Reality
• Telemedicine

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	VR Simulation (15 hours)+Live-Streamed Neurosurgical Procedures (20 hours)+Live-Streamed Neurocritical Care Rounds (5 hours)	1. VR Simulation (15 hours): Customized modules on the NeuroVR Platform (validated for neurosurgical education): * Neuroanatomy (5 hours): 3D interactive models of cerebral cortex, brainstem, cranial nerves, and spinal cord (with vascular/meningeal overlays). * Procedural skills (10 hours): Craniotomy basics, ventriculostomy, lumbar puncture, and spine decompression-with real-time feedback on instrument handling and anatomical precision. 2. Live-Streamed Neurosurgical Procedures (20 hours): 18 diverse cases (brain tumor resection \[n=6\], spine fusion \[n=5\], aneurysm clipping \[n=3\], epilepsy surgery \[n=4\]) via HIPAA-compliant Zoom for Healthcare. Each session included: * Pre-procedure briefing (anatomical landmarks, surgical goals). * Intraoperative expert commentary (neurosurgeon + neuroanesthesiologist). * Real-time Q\&A (focused on neurocritical decision-making: e.g., "How do you adjust resection for eloquent cortex mapping?"). 3. Live-Streamed Neurocritical Care Rounds (5 hours): Week

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-03-01
• Primary completion: 2024-04-30
• Completion: 2024-12-01
• First posted: 2025-12-26
• Last updated: 2025-12-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China