360° Video-Based Virtual Reality for Preparing Medical Students for Body Donor Dissection: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Body donor dissection is fundamental to medical education but often induces anxiety and emotional distress in students, potentially impacting learning outcomes and well-being. Traditional preparation methods emphasize technical and procedural elements while inadequately addressing students' emotional challenges. Recent advances in educational technology, particularly 360° video-based virtual reality (VR), may enhance students' emotional readiness by providing immersive previews of dissection environments. However, the application of this technology specifically for emotional preparation for body donor dissection remains largely unexplored. Objective: This study aimed to develop and evaluate a 360° video-based VR application designed to enhance medical students' emotional preparedness for their first body donor dissection experience. Methods: A randomized controlled longitudinal study was conducted with 43 first-year medical students (26/43, 60.5% female, mean age 20.9, SD 0.57 years) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar in Fall 2025. Participants completed a baseline survey including the 40-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and were randomly assigned to intervention (n=22) or control (n=21) groups using computer-generated permuted block randomization. Before their first dissection session, the intervention group viewed a custom-designed 360° video-based VR experience that featured a virtual tour of the anatomy laboratory and a simulated first encounter with a body donor. The control group received no intervention. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory surveys were administered at baseline (survey 1, all participants), post-VR intervention (survey 2, intervention group only), and postfirst dissection (survey 3, all participants). A follow-up perception survey (survey 4) was administered to the intervention group 1 week into the dissection course. Data were analyzed using 2-tailed paired-samples and independent-samples t tests, with qualitative responses analyzed using artificial intelligence-assisted thematic analysis. Results: The intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in trait anxiety (TA) immediately following the VR experience (mean difference 2.32, SD 4.95; t21=2.20; P=.04), while the reduction in state anxiety (SA) was not significant (mean difference 2.41, SD 8.55; t21=1.32; P=.20). No significant differences in SA or TA were found between intervention and control groups immediately before the first dissection session (SA: t41=0.03; P=.98 and TA: t41=0.70; P=.49) or in anxiety trajectories from baseline to postdissection (SA: t32=0.85; P=.41 and TA: t32=0.46; P=.65). Female students reported higher baseline TA compared to normative college populations (45.42 vs 40.40; mean difference 5.02, SD 7.72; t25=3.32; P=.003). Qualitative analysis revealed positive perceptions, with 91% (10/11) reporting clear content and 82% (9/11) recommending it to future cohorts. Key perceived benefits included environmental familiarization, procedural understanding, and psychological preparation. Conclusions: The 360° video-based VR intervention significantly reduced TA and was perceived as valuable for emotional and procedural preparation. The intervention shows promise as a preparatory tool for enhancing emotional and procedural readiness; however, its impact on objective educational outcomes was not assessed and warrants further investigation.