Virtual reality training of health caregivers in managing the psycho-behavioral symptoms of dementia: a randomized-controlled effectiveness study

Feasibility, user satisfaction and pedagogical effectiveness of a virtual reality training program for healthcare professionals to manage disruptive behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD): a randomized-controlled study

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN13744804

Enrollment

Registered

2023-09-25

Start date

2023-10-23

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-10-30

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Interventions

The overall design of this study protocol involves an intervention experiment in which healthcare staff (nurses and certified nursing assistants) at a Parisian university geriatric hospital will be ra

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Participants (nurses and certified nursing assistants) will be recruited voluntarily through posters placed in the geriatric wards of the Broca University gériatric hospital in Paris, or during team meetings in the hospitalization units. Those who are interested in participating will be asked to contact the researchers responsible for the project. 2. There will be no specific age or gender criteria for inclusion 3. Provide written consent after reading the information letter and receiving any additional information they may require 4. Both daytime and night-time shift workers will be eligible to participate

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. History of epilepsy 2. Pregnant women 3. History of motion sickness, balance problems, or migraines

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The evaluation of the pedagogical effectiveness of the training (main outcome measure) will be based on the participants' differential scores obtained for quizzes administered after Scenario 1 and 2, depending on the participant's arm (paper scenario or VR scenarios). This calculation will be made at the end of the 1-hour training session.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. The evaluation of healthcare professionals' training needs in verbal and nonverbal communication (V/NV) will be carried out prior to the training (traditional and VR-mediated training sessions), at baseline, using a V/NV communication training needs’ questionnaire, specifically designed for this research 2. The satisfaction of participants with the training methods will be assessed by asking them to rate their overall satisfaction with the training program they received, either the classical theoretical program or the virtual reality training program, using a Likert scale, just after the training session of 1H overall (the participation/assessment day). 3. The evaluation of the participants’ satisfaction of the VR scenarios (VR-trained group of 20 participants only) will be carried out using a satisfaction questionnaire developed by the researchers (see S3 File) at the end of the training session of 1H overall (the participation/assessment day). 4. The usability of the VR 3D training method will be assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS) at the end of the training session of 1H overall for the group of VR training of 20 participants. 5. The learners' self-perceived level of competence will be quantitatively analyzed using a questionnaire created by the researchers which is based on the “perceived competence” section of the “Intrinsic Motivation Inventory” at the end of the training session of 1H.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. The evaluation of healthcare professionals' training needs in verbal and nonverbal communication (V/NV) will be carried out prior to the training (traditional and VR-mediated training sessions), at baseline, using a V/NV communication training needs’ questionnaire, specifically designed for this research 2. The satisfaction of participants with the training methods will be assessed by asking them to rate their overall satisfaction with the training program they received, either the classical theoretical program or the virtual reality training program, using a Likert scale, just after the training session of 1H overall (the participation/assessment day). 3. The evaluation of the participants’ satisfaction of the VR scenarios (VR-trained group of 20 participants only) will be carried out using a satisfaction questionnaire developed by the researchers (see S3 File) at the end of the training session of 1H overall (the participation/assessment day). 4. The usability of the VR 3D training method will be assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS) at the end of the training session of 1H overall for the group of VR training of 20 participants. 5. The learners' self-perceived level of competence will be quantitatively analyzed using a questionnaire created by the researchers which is based on the “perceived competence” section of the “Intrinsic Motivation Inventory” at the end of the training session of 1H.

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Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026