THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CHEST PHYSICIANS AND LUMETO ANNOUNCE STUDY RESULTS SHOWING MATERIAL IMPROVEMENT IN CLINICAL EFFICACY USING LUMETO’S VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATION PLATFORM

Results showed a 26% relative increase in procedural knowledge of difficult airway management among Residents, in a single 25-minute Virtual Reality session

OCTOBER 19 2021 (Toronto, ON) – Lumeto, the Toronto-based immersive learning company deploying its learning platform Involve XR to medical and healthcare workers, today announces the results of the research study conducted in partnership with The American College of CHEST Physicians® (CHEST). The study aimed to evaluate usability, efficacy, and user satisfaction of virtual reality (VR) simulation. The results indicated universally easy adoption, encouraging efficacy results, and overwhelmingly strong learner confidence. 

The thirty-nine participants included physicians, advanced nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, physician’s assistants, fellows-in-training, and residents from The Mayo Clinic, NYU and Wake Forest University. As enabled by Lumeto’s InvolveXR platform, The study was conducted with most participants entering the multi-user, instructor-led VR simulation remotely, with others on-premises. Some sessions were conducted with inter-professional participants. 

The results showed dramatic success in teaching a highly challenging medical procedure with clear efficiency and retention. Data obtained from the study shows impactful results in usability, efficacy, and learner confidence after a twenty-five-minute virtual reality training session. 

The usability results indicated that Lumeto’s virtual reality platform for instruction is easy to adopt. Despite 56% of learners never having tried VR, 100% of the participants understood what steps to take when they first entered the virtual ICU, and 73% of participants found it easy to role-play an intubation scenario in VR.

Based on pre and post-tests conducted after each session, the efficacy findings showed significant improvement in procedural knowledge. In a single session averaging 25 minutes that included instructor-led simulation and debrief in VR, there was a 16% relative increase in procedural knowledge across all learners and 26% relative increase in procedural knowledge in residents in the management of a difficult airway. 

Overall, there was a higher increase in procedural knowledge in learner groups in the early years of clinical training compared to those with several years of professional experience. Results indicate the vast potential to successfully introduce VR-based Airway Management training in earlier years of clinical experience.

Lastly, a post-evaluation survey measuring confidence in the learning objectives showed positive results with particular focus on cognitive and collaborative skills. The overwhelmingly positive statistics revealed: 

• 97% were able to describe risk factors, physical exam findings, and clinical situations associated with a difficult airway
• 94% of learners were able to demonstrate a systematic approach to patient evaluation, plan development with the appropriate equipment, and drug utilization prior to intubation
• 100% were able to use crew resource management principles to effectively utilize an airway management team, maximizing success and patient safety during intubation

Based on their experience learning Airway Management on the InvolveXR platform, 87% of learners chose Virtual Reality as a format beneficial for their learning experience, which was second only to physical simulation and ranked higher than all other screen-based and didactic formats of learning. 

Earlier this year, Lumeto developed a virtual reality intubation simulation informed by CHEST’s curriculum to address the urgent need for safe and effective procedures at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using CHEST’s scientifically validated APPROACH Checklist for Airway Management, participants are led through the simulation by a remote instructor. They are guided through the steps required to perform a successful intubation using video laryngoscopy on an intoxicated patient. 

Lumeto and CHEST  are presenting these findings at CHEST’s Annual Meeting on October 19 at 5 PM EST. Titled The Future is Present: Immersive Virtual Reality in Medical Education Lumeto CEO Raja Khanna will join Robb Rabito –Senior Director, CHEST Program Development, and doctors: Ali Hafiz, MD –NYU, Casey Bryant, MD – Wake Forest Baptist Health and Brian S. Kaufman, MD, FCCP – NYU; to demonstrate Lumeto’s multi-user, instructor-led, VR intubation simulation, present the training study findings and lead a broader discussion on the evolution of Extended Reality (XR) and its impact on medical education. To register for the session please visit: https://chestmeeting.chestnet.org/sessions/