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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06034184

Enhancing Mass Casualty Triage Through Virtual Reality Simulation

This interventional study aims to investigate whether Virtual Reality (VR) compared to traditional education and training, can enhance the correct triage abilities of nursing students in simulated mass casualty incidents (MCI). The primary research question seeks to answer if VR compared to Standard education supports students' ability to triage correctly in a simulated MCI situation. Additionally, this study aims to address the following secondary questions: Does VR compared to standard education have an effect on the time to triage in a simulated MCI situation? And, does VR compared to Standard education have an effect on theoretical knowledge retention concerning triage in MCI situations? In the interventional group, participants will utilize VR for MCI training and learning, while the control group will undergo standard education, including lectures and paper exercises. The researchers will compare the two groups of nursing students to assess whether VR yields better outcomes in MCI triage education.

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Key information

Conditions

Learning Mass Casualty Incident Training Triage

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Sophiahemmet University, Lindstedtvägen 8

Stockholm, Stockholm County, 11428, Sweden

About this study

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving nursing students from a university in Stockholm, Sweden. The students are randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either VR (intervention) or standard training in triaging during a mass casualty Incident. Both groups of participants will receive the same lecture on disaster events and triage using the same method before undergoing triage training either with VR support or traditional paper-based training. To achieve a power of 0.80 and a p-value of 0.05, a total of 60 participants are required (control n=30, intervention n=30). However, all students (approximately 100) will be invited to participate in the study to avoid excluding those who wish to take part in the study. The primary outcome measure is the students' ability to triage correctly. Secondary outcome measures include knowledge and knowledge retention, as well as the time taken to triage correctly. Knowledge tests will be conducted approximately one week after training and again 3-6 months after completing the training. The knowledge test consists of a questionnaire with 20 multiple-choice questions used in previous studies.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Nursing students registered for a course in disaster medicine/emergency care that is conducted during their fifth semester (out of 6) in the nursing program.

Exclusion criteria

Does not meet inclusion criteria

Treatment and study plan

Virtual Reality

Other

The nursing students use glasses and handcontrollers (High Fidelity Simulation) in the VR scenario for training and learning mass casualty incidents.

Other names: Training mass casualty incidents

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of participants performing correct triage

    Time frame: From enrollment, theoretical education and performing training on mass casualty incidents with or without Virtual Reality

    Measuring if VR compared to Standard education has an effect on the frequency of correctly triage

Secondary outcomes

  1. Time range on performing correct triage on 10 injured

    Time frame: From enrollment, theoretical education and performing training on mass casualty incidents with or without Virtual Reality

    Measuring if VR compared to Standard education has an effect on the time to triage correctly (10 patients) in a simulated MCI situation

Other outcomes

  1. Number of participants with correct answers in theoretical tests

    Time frame: From enrollment, the training on mass casualty incidents with or without Virtual Reality and measuring nursing students theoretical knowledge retention on triage 1 week- 3-6 months after training.

    To measure if VR compared to Standard education has an effect on theoretical knowledge retention

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sophiahemmet University

Other

Collaborators

  • Ambulance Service in Stockholm, Sweden (AISAB)
  • CrashCourse AB
  • Falck Ambulance A/S
  • Laerdal Medical Foundation

Registry information

Official study title

To Evaluate Whether Virtual Reality Compared to Standard Education Improves Nursing Students' Ability to Triage in a Simulated Mass Casualty Incident- a RCT

Acronym: VR-MCI-RCT

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Sep 13, 2023
Registry last updated
May 19, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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