The Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Education on Empathy and Understanding of the Physical Environment for Dementia Care Workers in Australia: A Controlled Study

Abstract

Background: There is support for the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) technology in dementia education. However, it is not yet known if VR is a useful tool for improving empathy and understanding of dementia care environments among dementia care workers. Objective: This study compared learning outcomes of VR versus non-VR (control) workshops for dementia care workers of different ages and English-speaking backgrounds. Methods: Dementia care workers enrolled in workshops on dementia care principles. Once participants were enrolled, workshops were assigned at random to deliver non-VR or VR-based education. Participants (N = 114, 91.8%female, mean age = 46.4; SD = 13.2; n = 60VR condition, 54control condition) completed self-report measures of empathy towards people living with dementia, understanding of dementia care environments, dementia knowledge, and attitudes towards dementia at pre- and post-workshop. Results: Significant pre-post main effects were observed for empathy, understanding of dementia care environments, and attitudes. Interaction effects were not found; improvements in outcomes were similar between conditions. However, interaction effects were observed for subgroups. Empathy improved significantly more in the VR condition for older participants. Understanding of dementia care environments improved more in the VR condition for younger and non-English-speaking background participants. Conclusion: Using VR may not augment teaching outcomes for all learners. VR may differentially assist leaners of different ages and English-speaking backgrounds. More research is needed to understand for which variables and for whom VR is a useful teaching tool.

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“…The issue is not that technologies cannot generate empathy in some groups of learners, but that empathy might not translate into longer-term prosocial caring behaviors in healthcare systems (Gillespie et al, 2021;Beverly et al, 2022). For example, VR dementia training may not benefit all learners and VR may differentially assist leaners of different ages and English-speaking backgrounds, suggesting that more research is needed to understand for which variables and 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.971044 for whom VR is a useful teaching tool (Jütten et al, 2018;Stargatt et al, 2021). VR provides a small snapshot of the vicissitudes of living with an illness or disability that might leave a false impression of what patients "like that" feel (Dean et al, 2020).…”

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“…This participant may be less interested because of their relatively young age 27 . Similarly, in a study of care workers, VR-based education showed significantly more empathy improvement than non-VR education in the elderly group than in the younger group 28 . This participant may have already been exposed to much education and felt bored or may have already had a very satisfactory experience through conventional lecture-style education.…”

“…27 Similarly, in a study of care workers, VR-based education showed significantly more empathy improvement than non-VR education in the elderly group than in the younger group. 28 This participant may have already been exposed to much education and felt bored or may have already had a very satisfactory experience through conventional lecture-style education. Also, given her level of education, having her read aloud sentences may have caused her discomfort.…”

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“…Acceptability and perceived usefulness of VR programs may vary and depend on the ability of the VR program to meet the users’ needs and complexity of the VR platform. In Australia, VR-based education on empathy and understanding of the physical environment for dementia care workers reported that VR may differentially assist the participants of different age and English-speaking background ( 49 ).…”