Development and pilot evaluation of a virtual reality simulator for HDR prostate brachytherapy

Anton Varlukhin; Mackenzie Smith; Fahad Alam; Amandeep Tagger; Gerard Morton; Moti Paudel; Andrew Loblaw; Lucas Mendez; Douglas Hoover; Raffi Karshafian; Humza Nusrat

arXiv · 2510.25944

Development and pilot evaluation of a virtual reality simulator for HDR prostate brachytherapy

Anton Varlukhin·Mackenzie Smith·Fahad Alam·Amandeep Tagger·Gerard Morton·Moti Paudel·Andrew Loblaw·Lucas Mendez·Douglas Hoover·Raffi Karshafian·Humza Nusrat

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Abstract

Purpose: To develop a virtual reality simulator for high dose rate prostate brachytherapy and to test whether participation is associated with immediate gains in self-reported confidence across predefined procedural domains in two cohorts. Methods: Two modules were developed and implemented using Unreal Engine: patient preparation and template guided needle insertion. Oncology staff and trainees completed pre and post surveys that assessed confidence for recalling steps, explaining steps, identifying equipment, and explaining equipment function. Studies were conducted at the Hands On Brachytherapy Workshop (HOWBT) in London, Ontario, and at Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Paired Wilcoxon signed rank tests with two-sided p values compared before and after scores within each module. Results: Patient preparation (N=11) confidence increased for recalling steps (W=65, p=0.002), explaining steps (W=51, p = 0.023), identifying equipment (W=65, p=0.002), and explaining equipment function (W=60, p=0.0078). Needle insertion (N=27) confidence increased for recalling steps (W=292, p<0.001), explaining steps (W=347, p<0.001), identifying equipment (W=355, p<0.001), and explaining equipment function (W=354, p<0.001). Conclusion: The simulator was feasible to deploy and was associated with higher self-reported confidence across key domains immediately after training. Findings may inform future curriculum design and implementation work.

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Anton Varlukhin, Mackenzie Smith, Fahad Alam, Amandeep Tagger, Gerard Morton, Moti Paudel, Andrew Loblaw, Lucas Mendez, Douglas Hoover, Raffi Karshafian, Humza Nusrat. 2025-10-29. Development and pilot evaluation of a virtual reality simulator for HDR prostate brachytherapy. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.25944

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