Development and Evaluation of Virtual Environment-based Educational Material for Midwives to Perceive Risks and Observe Their Own Behaviors during Delivery

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K11089
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 58070:Lifelong developmental nursing-related
• Research Institution: Fukui Prefectural University (2022); The University of Shiga Prefecture (2019-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Iwatani Kumiko 福井県立大学, 看護福祉学部, 教授 (10435331)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 橋本 宣慶 滋賀県立大学, 工学部, 准教授 (00433699) ; 藤平 麻理子 滋賀県立大学, 人間看護学部, 講師 (70847912)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 危険認知 / 仮想環境型教材 / 助産 / 分娩

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We developed virtual environment-based educational material to simulate 2 situations during delivery: decreased fetal heart rate and early postpartum hemorrhage, and evaluated its usability. This experimental system reproduces a simulated delivery room, sequentially measures gaze using HMD Vive Pro Eye, a virtual reality (VR) headset with precision eye-tracking, and helps users choose the actions necessary to address the risks they perceive by gazing where their attention is directed. The results supported the usability of the developed educational material to educate both midwifery students and midwives in clinical practice, while indicating the necessity of considering the appropriate amount of information, appropriate number of gazing points, and attentional priority, in addition to countermeasures against VR sickness. The development of educational materials with further interactivity is also expected.

Free Research Field

助産学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

助産師教育あるいは臨床現場における本研究の価値としては, (1)分娩時の危機感・緊張感のある仮想環境場面の技能訓練が繰り返し体験できる, (2) 起こりやすい分娩期のインシデント・アクシデントに対して危険認知に関するアセスメント能力が向上する, (3)行動を客観的かつ科学的に評価ができる, (4)助産師教育の臨場感が必要な場面の教育教材の開発につながる, の4点である.この研究成果を教育に取り入れることで, 助産師の分娩時の危険予知能力が高まり, リスクの判断も容易となることが期待できる.