INTRODUCTION: Education of patients prior to an invasive procedure is pivotal for good cooperation and knowledge retention. Virtual reality (VR) is a fast-developing technology that helps educate both medical professionals and patients. OBJECTIVE: To prove non-inferiority of VR education compared to conventional education in patients prior to the implantation of a permanent pacemaker (PPM). METHODS: 150 participants scheduled for an elective implantation of a PPM were enrolled in this prospective study and randomized into two groups: the VR group (n = 75) watched a 360° video about the procedure using the VR headset Oculus Meta Quest 2, while the conventional group (n = 75) was educated by a physician. Both groups filled out a questionnaire to assess the quality of education pre- and in-hospital, their knowledge of the procedure, and their subjective satisfaction. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the quality of education. There was a non-significant trend towards higher educational scores in the VR group. The subgroup with worse scores was older than the groups with higher scores (82 vs. 76 years, p = 0.025). Anxiety was reduced in 92% of participants. CONCLUSION: VR proved to be non-inferior to conventional education. It helped to reduce anxiety and showed no adverse effects.

Department of Cardiology Agel Hospital Trinec Podlesi 739 61 Trinec Czech Republic

Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science VSB Technical University of Ostrava 708 00 Ostrava Czech Republic

Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University 601 77 Brno Czech Republic

Faculty of Medicine Palacky University 779 00 Olomouc Czech Republic

Faculty of Medicine University of Ostrava 701 03 Ostrava Czech Republic

Philosophical Faculty Masaryk University 601 77 Brno Czech Republic

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