JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Traditional laboratory teaching of pathogenic cocci faces challenges in biosafety and standardization across medical specialties. While virtual simulation shows promise, evidence from large-scale, multi-disciplinary studies remains limited.

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of integrating virtual simulation with traditional laboratory practice in enhancing medical microbiology education, focusing on the identification of BSL-2 pathogenic cocci. The study aims to assess improvements in student performance, theoretical understanding, laboratory safety, and overall satisfaction, while achieving standardization and cost reduction across multiple medical specialties.

Methods:

This randomized controlled study involved 1,282 medical students from nine specialties. The experimental group (n=641) received virtual simulation training before traditional laboratory practice, while the control group (n=641) followed conventional methods only. Our virtual system focused on BSL-2 pathogenic cocci identification with dynamic specimen generation.

Results:

The experimental group showed significantly improved performance across specialties (P<.0001), particularly in clinical medicine and preventive medicine. Virtual simulation enhanced students' theoretical understanding (98.7%) and laboratory safety (90.8%), while achieving standardization (61.6%) and cost reduction (60% over five years). Overall student satisfaction reached 97.2%, with distinct learning patterns observed across specialties.

Conclusions:

This large-scale study demonstrates that integrating virtual simulation with traditional methods effectively enhances medical microbiology education, providing a standardized, safe, and cost-effective approach for teaching high-risk pathogenic experiments.