Room of Errors - Feasibility and Design of a Simulation Training Concept in VR with Intentional Simulation Errors

In 2020, 13.1 percent of somatic hospital stays in Norway led to hospital-acquired complications or injuries. One way of working to prevent these events may be found in the education of health personnel. Nursing study programs have seen increased use of simulation training and Virtual Reality (VR). One method for simulation training is the “Room of Errors,” which asks participants to look for pre-established errors. Implementing this concept in VR introduces additional challenges: How should such an application be designed so that users recognize and accept the errors as part of the simulation and do not see them as the result of a faulty application? Previous studies have not considered cooperative Room of Errors simulation training in VR, which has added benefits in non-VR simulations. How feasible is it to support multiple concurrent users? This thesis addresses these questions by developing a VR Room of Errors application. Nine lecturers for Nurse Anesthetist, Intensive Care Nursing, and Operating Room Nursing study programs evaluated the application. They confirm its usability and that they would consider using the application as part of their simulation-based education. Importantly, the virtual environment is accepted by users, including intended and unintended simulation errors. Evaluations with two cooperating participants shows an added layer of communication and confirms the feasibility of multiple concurrent users. The concept is viable in VR, and development is practically and financially feasible.Masteroppgave i Programutvikling samarbeid med HVLPROG399MAMN-PRO