Development of virtual reality scenarios addressing gender-based violence in health sciences education: Qualitative approach

BACKGROUND: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a public health issue affecting 1 in 3 women globally. Its impact on women's health is challenging, including physical, mental, and social consequences. Health care professionals have a unique opportunity in identifying and supporting GBV survivors, but there is a lack of adequate training. 

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop educational resources based on problem-based and experiential learning approaches using virtual reality (VR) scenarios for health sciences students to enhance their skills in addressing GBV. 

METHODS: A co-creation approach was adopted, encompassing 3 main strategies. First, a focus group was conducted with frontline professionals experienced in GBV. Second, co-creation workshops involved professionals from diverse fields, including higher education pedagogy, gender and public health, nursing and medical education, and immersive technology. Third, expert consultation with frontline professionals ensured coherence between the educational resources and real-world challenges. Following this phase, a first iteration of the materials was piloted with students to assess usability and relevance. 

RESULTS: The thematic analysis of the focus group content led to the identification of 9 categories illustrating the competencies and knowledge areas considered relevant to address GBV. As a result of the co-creation workshops, these categories were translated into 18 learning needs, and 4 use cases for the VR component were also identified. The VR scenarios were designed to cover critical GBV situations, fostering transversal skills, such as empathic communication, ethical decision-making, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Two didactic methodologies were proposed for each scenario: a problem-based learning sequence and a single experiential learning session approach, culminating in 4 VR videos and their methodological guides. 

CONCLUSIONS: The grounding of these educational resources in real-world scenarios, in conjunction with the competencies identified by frontline health and social care professionals with expertise in GBV, ensured alignment with the challenges professionals face in their practice. This helped bridge the gap between theory and practice, offering an innovative approach to GBV education for students of health sciences.