Introducing virtual reality into CPR training
We are enhancing our medical education provision from March with the introduction of virtual reality (VR) technology into CPR training.
We are enhancing our medical education provision from March with the introduction of virtual reality (VR) technology into CPR training, marking a significant step forward in immersive and augmented learning within football medicine.
The innovative VR element was piloted at St George’s Park across two days, with more than 80 medical tutors and practitioners taking part and providing valuable feedback to help refine the technology ahead of its formal rollout.
The virtual reality experience has been designed to complement, not replace, existing CPR training. Integrated into a 40-minute CPR station, the VR scenario lasts around eight minutes and allows learners to practice life-saving skills in a highly realistic football environment. Wearing a headset while working hands-on with a mannequin, learners are placed into a virtual stadium setting complete with crowd noise, commentary, referees and on-pitch distractions – elements that cannot be recreated in a traditional classroom.
From March, the virtual reality CPR training experience will initially be introduced within our ATMMiF and ITMMiF courses. Over time, the ambition is to expand its use across our entire medical pathway, using high-fidelity simulation to support learners with order, sequencing and decision-making in life-like emergency environments.
Unlike assessment-based simulations, the VR experience is focused entirely on practice and skill reinforcement. Learners are guided through the scenario by audio prompts and a virtual helper where required, encouraging effective communication, leadership and decision-making under pressure. Participants are required to physically interact with equipment, give clear instructions to others and perform CPR techniques while remaining focused despite the surrounding noise and distractions.
Introducing virtual reality technology into our medical courses marks a transformative step in preparing learners for real-life emergency situations. In embracing virtual reality, we, via our Medical Education Strategy, are not only enhancing clinical competence but driving a new global benchmark for medical training – raising standards across the game and ensuring learners are ready to deliver the very best player care. The expanded use of immersive and simulated training across the medical learning pathway remains one of our top priorities, and this particular VR technology shows our commitment to investing in simulated and augmented learning.
England Football Learning’s Medical Education Senior Lead, Professor Lisa Hodgson, said: "This is about augmenting what we already do. CPR is a psychomotor skill – you have to physically do it. Virtual reality gives us the realism we simply can’t recreate in a classroom, such as crowd noise, pressure and human factors, while still allowing learners to perform CPR on a real mannequin. It adds another layer of fidelity to the learning experience."
The VR programme was developed in collaboration with Portico, the home of VR learning, following initial research discussions with Sheffield University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). The shared aim was to create a solution that combined immersive virtual environments with real-world clinical skills, rather than a purely digital experience.
We have spent roughly 8 months working with Portico to accurately create the current virtual reality scenario learners can experience with the headset. The process began with us sharing some of our online videos with Portico and writing a script to help the company know what we wanted each avatar to say as well as the equipment needed in the scenario. From there, we worked closely with Portico to create the stadium, atmosphere, and noise to ensure the best level of realism, before developing the hand-eye coordination and had-tracking technology to allow learners to do CPR on a mannequin.
Justin Parry, from Portico, added: “Lisa had a very clear vision – this wasn’t about gamification, it was about placing learners onto a football pitch with all the stress, noise and distraction that comes with it, while still walking them through the correct processes. We worked closely with The FA to script the virtual reality scenario and build an experience that feels authentic and purposeful.”
