Three reasons VR is the best way to deliver life-saving First Aid Training

Three reasons VR is the best way to deliver life-saving First Aid Training
One of the most common causes of death worldwide is cardiac arrest.  According to research conducted by EMS Safety, approximately 55% of cardiac arrests are witnessed by friends, family or co-workers and the lack of knowledge and confidence in providing CPR at the critical stage is a major contributing factor to deaths.

Surprisingly, almost 99% of Australians believe that CPR training is crucial but only about 26% know how to perform it accurately. What’s more concerning is that only 4% of those who are CPR trained feel confident performing CPR. The greatest challenge lies in access to reliable CPR training. 

Leading organisations like St John Ambulance Victoria and American Heart Association are currently delivering first aid certification technology using immersive learning technology to deliver a better learning experience and save cost. 

Immersive learning programs that use VR & AR lead to better retention, faster delivery and superior learning outcomes. Trainees can experience life threatening situations through highly realistic simulations, equipping them with memorable and actionable tactics to enact what they learn. 

Here are 3 compelling reasons why you should consider VR to deliver first aid training:

1. VR simulations greatly improve knowledge retention 

Simulation training has been proven to be the most effective method to deliver impactful training. Rather than trainers having to describe a life threatening situation, trainees can experience it for themselves first hand, dramatically improving empathy and providing greater context for the actions they will need to take to handle a similar situation. When trainees are presented with the realistic scenario, the cognitive activity dramatically increases memory retention and enables the information to be more easily recalled than any other training method. 

When St John Ambulance Victoria implemented this solution into their training program, they found that learners who were trained through VR got an 82% accuracy rate in answering CPR questions which was 80% higher than the average respondent. 

2. VR training increases efficiency, delivery time and reduces costs

With VR CPR training being delivered efficiently, the training time is reduced by 75% with no loss of quality in the outcome and enabling learners to get certified faster. Moreover, VR learning allows for shorter training commitments and a reduction in their daily productivity. This means more people can receive their certification which will inevitably save more lives. 

For organisations that deliver first aid training, VR becomes a cost effective and efficient way to deliver an exceptional learning experience at scale, especially when integrated with class-room based courses, delivered remotely or when it can be delivered at work premises, which leads us to the next benefit...

3. Certification in VR is more accessible to remote workers and people working on-site

A portable VR training kit allows trainers to deliver a better classroom-like experience in any location. Similarly, students can have a fully immersive virtual training experience regardless of their remote geography, enabling them to engage with the trainer and classmates as if they were all in the same physical space. This opens up unlimited potential for first aid training to be delivered anywhere, and at any time. 

Trainers can see how each student is progressing and can even intervene and guide them to the right outcome through a combination of realistic first-person simulations, in-line quizzes and the practical assessment using physical aids such as mannequins, dressings and defibrillators. The combination of self-paced learning in VR, physical assessments and easy-to-use trainer admin tools can make the process up to 50% faster. 

In partnership with St John Victoria Ambulance, Start Beyond developed an immersive training solution that delivers life-saving first aid and CPR to the classroom and on-site premises. The results have been highly successful for SJA (VIC) and helped them win two Australian Business Awards for Training Excellence and Digital Transformation. 

CEO of St John Ambulance Victoria, Gordon Botwright said: “With thousands of people dying from cardiac arrest each year, it’s crucial that we make the process of undertaking first aid training accessible. Our students receive the highest-quality learning experience while significantly cutting down the time it takes to deliver a market-leading first aid training, improving cardiac arrest response times and ultimately, survival rates.”

To see how it works, check out the Immersive First Aid Training Case Study video

If you’d like to see how immersive learning in VR & AR can improve your learning outcomes, contact us for demonstration today.

AR & VR training provides learners with knowledge that sticks.  It is cheaper and more memorable than traditional 2D methods.

Contact us for a demonstration of how AR and VR learning simulations can reduce costs, increase knowledge retention, and build high performing teams.