Virtual Reality for Pediatric Trauma Education - A Face and Content Validation Study

Purpose Pediatric trauma is a leading cause of death and disability among children. While trauma education can improve these outcomes, it remains expensive and available only to a few providers worldwide. Innovative educational technologies like virtual reality (VR) can be key to democratizing trauma education. This study, therefore, evaluates the face and content validity of a VR platform designed to enhance pediatric trauma skills. Specifically, we seek to determine whether the platform effectively presents an injured child and comprehensively covers the essential tasks to successfully treat them within a trauma team. Methods Physicians were invited to test a VR platform simulating a child with blunt head and truncal trauma. After the simulation, they filled out surveys assessing the face and content validity of the scenario, including their opinions on the realism, interaction, ease of use, and the educational content of the platform. Additionally, they completed a cybersickness questionnaire. Demographic data were also collected, including age, gender, country of medical education, and previous experience with VR. A descriptive analysis was performed. Results Eleven physicians graduated from eight different countries tested the VR platform. Most (87%) found it valuable, and 81% preferred using it over high-fidelity mannequins for training purposes. The platform received more favorable evaluations for non-technical skills training (median: 5, IQR: 5.0 to 5.0) than for technical skills (median: 4, IQR: 3.0 to 5.0). Regarding cybersickness, 73% of the participants reported experiencing any or minimal discomfort during the simulation, and none needed to stop the test due to discomfort. Conclusion Our initial validation of a VR platform designed for pediatric trauma education was positive. Participants endorsed VR and its potential to enhance performance, particularly in non-technical skills. Encouraged by these results, we will proceed with feasibility and implementation studies, comparing VR to high-fidelity mannequins. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement The study was funded by the McGill University Health Center Research Institute. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The study was approved by the McGill University Health Centre, Research Ethics Board (#2024-10024). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors