Currently submitted to: JMIR Medical Education
Date Submitted: Jun 7, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 8, 2026 - Aug 3, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Emergency Medical Services University Student’s Perceptions and Readiness for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Simulation in Practical Training in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Several studies have highlighted the importance of using technology in training, especially virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and their positive impact on students in terms of improving their experience and boosting their self-confidence. This study measures students' perceptions and their readiness to incorporate virtual reality and augmented reality into practical training.
Objective:
This study aimed to assess Emergency Medical Services (EMS) university student’s perceptions and readiness toward using VR and AR simulation in practical training in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods:
A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive design was utilized to assess the EMS university students perceptions and readiness to virtual reality simulation in their practical training in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 29.
Results:
Results:
A total of 126 EMS students (81.0%, n=102 males and 19.0%, n=24 females) participated in the study. The majority of subjects in this study (58.7%, n=74) were unaware of VR/AR application in EMS education . The questionnaire had excellent internal reliability ( α = .913). There was a significant difference in perceived barriers and benefits. The main barriers were the high financial cost (M = 0.64) and the need for technical support (M = 0.57). Nevertheless, students were highly motivated by the prospect of better understanding of practical skills (M = 0.74) and risk-free repeated practice (M = 0.60). Prior awareness of the technology was significantly related to support for implementation χ2(4, N = 126) = 10.05, p = .040.
Conclusions:
EMS students have a strong willingness to adopt VR/AR in practice, they perceived VR/AR technology positively in simulation. They found VR/AR a necessary tool which help to improve clinical decision making and to connect theory to practice, despite a need to overcome the financial and technical constraints. They believe institution needs to prepare well. Further study could be done with experimental design comparing the effectiveness.
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