Virtual Reality: A New Way to Learn ECG Placement

Virtual reality (VR) isn't just for fun and games anymore. Research shows that it can be a powerful tool in medical education. A recent study at a medical school explored how VR helps students learn a complex skill: placing electrocardiogram (ECG) leads. The study used a VR program called Acadicus, which lets students practice placing ECG leads on a virtual patient. After using the program, students were asked about their experience. Most students said the VR tool helped them understand and engage with the skill better. They especially liked how interactive and hands-on the experience was. However, some students thought the VR tool didn't help as much with understanding where and how to place the leads exactly. Overall, the study found that VR can boost students' confidence in this clinical skill. So, it might be a good idea for more medical schools to use VR in their teaching. But there's still more research needed to see how well VR works for different skills and in different schools.