A Large-Scale Multispecialty Evaluation of Web-Based Simulation in Medical Microbiology Laboratory Education: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND

Traditional laboratory teaching of pathogenic cocci faces challenges in biosafety and standardization across medical specialties. While virtual simulation shows promise, evidence from large-scale, multidisciplinary studies remains limited.

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating virtual simulation with traditional laboratory practice in enhancing medical microbiology education, focusing on the identification of biosafety level 2 pathogenic cocci. The study assessed improvements in student performance, theoretical understanding, laboratory safety, and overall satisfaction, while achieving standardization and cost reduction across multiple medical specialties.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial involved 1282 medical students from 9 specialties. The experimental group (n=653) received virtual simulation training-featuring interactivity and intelligent feedback-prior to traditional laboratory practice, while the control group (n=629) did not receive such training. Our virtual system focused on biosafety level 2 pathogenic cocci identification with dynamic specimen generation.

RESULTS

The experimental group showed significantly improved performance across specialties (P<.05 for each specialty), particularly in clinical medicine, in which the experimental group score was 89.88 (SD 13.09) and the control group score was 68.34 (SD 17.23; P<.001). The students reported that virtual simulation enhanced their theoretical understanding (1268/1282, 98.9%) and laboratory safety (1164/1282, 90.8%) while helping them achieve standardization (790/1282, 61.6%,) and cost reduction (957/1282, 74.6%). Overall student satisfaction reached 97.2% (1246/1282), with distinct learning patterns observed across specialties. The test scores were significantly higher in the experimental group, with a mean of 80.82 (SD 17.10), compared to the control group, with a mean of 67.45 (SD 16.81).

CONCLUSIONS

This large-scale study demonstrates that integrating virtual simulation with traditional methods effectively enhances medical microbiology education, providing a standardized, safe, and cost-effective approach for teaching high-risk pathogenic experiments.