Relationships Between Internal Factors, Social Factors and the Sense of Presence in Virtual Reality-Based Simulations

Abstract Background Virtual Reality (VR) has proven to be an interesting and expanding tool for healthcare education, especially with the impact of the Sense of Presence (SoP) on learning. The study was designed to investigate to what extent users’ social and internal factors might influence the SoP and to further identify members of occupations’ characteristics influencing immersive experiences. Method A cross-sectional study immersing 83 undergraduate students (ambulance attendants, students nurses, and medical students) in a mass casualty incident simulation was performed. Questionnaires were administred to assess personal, environmental, and experiential in pre and post-simulation. Results SoP was associated with gender, disaster medicine education, propensity for immersion, and members of occupations.. Immersion characteristics specific to occupational categories have been identified. Conclusion Personal differences were discovered between ambulance attendants, students nurses, and medical students. Consideration should be given on how best practices could promote the design of VR experiences that cater to professional groups' needs. Identifying in the future what level of experience is needed for a sufficient SoP also seems necessary.