Journal of Health & Medical Informatics

Critical Success Factors for Virtual Reality-based Training in Ophthalmology Domain

Abstract

Youcef Benferdia, Mohammad Nazir Ahmad, Mushawiahti Mustapha, Hanif Baharin and Mohd Yazid Bajuri

In recent years, as a result of advanced computer technology and internet resources, the interest in VR and surgical simulations has seen an increase in the healthcare domain. Virtual reality (VR), one of the modern tools that have emerged from IT, has been integrated in many hospital training programs. So far, however, there are no intensive studies with focus on investigating factors such as critical success factors (CSFs) for VR success within the healthcare context, especially in the ophthalmology domain. There are several factors that healthcare providers or designers need to consider during the implementation of VR in the healthcare domain. This paper aims to identify VR based training CSFs that motivate the ophthalmologist surgeons to adopt VR as an alternative tool for acquiring, maintaining and improving skills. This paper presents a systematic review of literature on VR based training in an ophthalmology context. In total, 59 studies published between 2006 and 2017 in 6 indexed journals were analysed. 86 CSFs were identified as significant ones for any adoption of VRT. Based on papers in different disciplines, CSFs were categorized into the 6 broad categories of HCI/VR Features, Learning Outcome, Usability, Control and Active Learning, Student and Limitation Factors, each containing one to four sub-categories. Finally, insightful practice and theory recommendations for further research have been provided for healthcare providers, researchers as well as for designers.