Facilitating Virtual Reality Integration in Medical Education: A Case Study of Acceptability and Learning Impact in Childbirth Delivery Training

Advancements in Virtual Reality (VR) technology have opened new frontiers in medical education, igniting interest among medical educators to incorporate it into mainstream curriculum, complementing traditional training modalities such as manikin training. Despite numerous VR simulators on the market, their uptake in medical education remains limited. This paper explores the acceptability and educational effectiveness of VR in the context of vaginal childbirth delivery training, with the simulator providing a walkthrough for the second and third stages of labour, contrasting it with established manikin-based methods. We conducted a large-scale empirical study with 117 medical students, revealing a significant 24.9% improvement in knowledge scores when using VR as compared to manikin. However, VR received significantly lower self-reported feasibility scores in Confidence, Usability, Enjoyment, Feedback and Presence, indicating low acceptance. The study provides critical insights into the relationship between technological innovation and educational impact, guiding future integration of VR into medical training curricula.