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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° 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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BACKGROUND: Hypertension challenges arise in part from poor adherence due to inadequate patient education. VR offers immersive learning to improve hypertension knowledge. OBJECTIVE: To compare VR education with traditional verbal education to improve hypertension knowledge. METHODS: In this randomised trial, 182 patients with hypertension were assigned to receive either traditional physician-led education (n = 88) or VR education (n = 94) with equivalent content. The VR group experienced a 3D video using Oculus Quest 2 headsets. Knowledge was assessed post-intervention using a 29-item questionnaire. The primary outcome was the objective score. Subjective satisfaction and responder characteristics were secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Median objective scores were significantly higher for VR (14, IQR 3) versus traditional education (10, IQR 5), p < 0.001, indicating superior hypertension knowledge acquisition with VR. Subjective satisfaction was high in both groups. Participants were categorized into low (first quartile) and medium-high (second to fourth quartiles) responders based on their scores. Low responders had a significantly higher prevalence of older women than medium-high responders (57% vs. 40% female, p = 0.024; 68 vs. 65 years), p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: VR outperforms traditional education. Tailoring to groups such as older women can optimise learning.