Simulation based education in dysrhythmia management: A comparison of task trainer and virtual reality approaches

Objective: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) based training and task trainer–based simulation training in dysrhythmia management education. The goal was to assess changes in knowledge, skills, and knowledge retention among intern physicians trained with these two different simulation methods. Methods: This single-blind, randomized controlled study was conducted between March and May 2025 at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University. Thirty interns participating in their emergency medicine clerkship were included. A high-fidelity simulation-based pre- test on dysrhythmia management was administered, and participants were assigned to either the VR (intervention) or task trainer (control) group based on their performance scores. Following standardized theoretical and practical training, all participants underwent a post-test using the same scenarios, followed by a retention test four weeks later. Evaluations were performed using structured assessment forms and video recordings. Results: When the VR and task trainer groups' pre-test, post-test, and retention test results were compared, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups (p>0.05). However, both groups showed significant improvement in scores between the pre-test and the post-training assessments (p<0.001). Post-test and retention test results were similar. Overall, both training methods led to meaningful gains, with no significant difference between them. Conclusion: VR-based training significantly improved knowledge and skill levels in dysrhythmia management and was found to be equivalent in effectiveness to task trainer–based simulation. Virtual reality technology can be considered a complementary or alternative tool in medical education. Keywords: Virtual Reality, VR, Medical Education, Simulation, Task Trainer, Emergency Medicine