JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Informal caregivers play a crucial role in home care, many lack formal training, potentially compromising patient safety. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality /AR) offer an innovative approach to training by simulating real-life caregiving scenarios in a risk-free environment. This study evaluates the feasibility, perceived usefulness, and effectiveness of fully immersive VR/AR training for informal caregivers, establishing a performance benchmark using experienced healthcare professionals.

Objective:

To assess the effectiveness and acceptability of immersive VR/AR training for home caregiving tasks, using experienced professionals to establish a reference standard for execution quality.

Methods:

This observational mixed-methods study was conducted in healthcare centres in Andalusia, the Valencian Community, and Madrid (Spain). A structured process was followed, including the identification of key home care tasks, the development of best practice guidelines, creation of immersive VR/AR training materials, and the design of a performance evaluation rubric. Healthcare professionals (n = 75) performed caregiving tasks in VR/AR, and their performance was recorded and assessed using a standardized rubric. Participants also completed a post-training survey evaluating usability, comprehension, and applicability to real-world caregiving.

Results:

A total of 75 professionals participated, completing 257 caregiving simulations in a fully immersive VR/AR environment. A total of 417 errors were identified, with an average of 5.3 errors per participant (SD 6.8). The most frequent errors occurred in medication management, insulin administration, diaper changing, broncho aspiration prevention, blood pressure monitoring, and hand hygiene. The perceived usefulness of VR training was rated 8.1 out of 10 points (SD 1.9), with 98.7% of participants stating that the time spent in the simulation was worthwhile, and 85.3% agreeing that the tasks were appropriately represented

Conclusions:

Immersive VR/AR training for informal caregivers is a feasible and well-accepted approach, demonstrating high perceived usefulness among healthcare professionals. The study establishes a gold standard for home caregiving task execution, providing a basis for future research evaluating informal caregivers’ performance and targeted training interventions to enhance patient safety. Further studies are needed to explore the long-term impact of VR training on caregiver competence and home care quality