VR tackles emergency training gap in hospitals, industries

Hospitals and industrial employers could use virtual reality, VR, to help staff practise emergency responses that are difficult or risky to recreate in real working environments, Insightful3D Studio has said.

The Nigerian company, which develops immersive training solutions for healthcare and industrial organisations, said simulations could give workers repeatable practice without exposing patients and staff to danger or disrupting operations.

Managing Partner of Insightful3D Studio, Mr Owolabi Olatunji, said healthcare workers should have the opportunity to think through how they would respond to a deteriorating patient before facing such a situation on the job.

“The first time a healthcare worker responds to a fast-deteriorating patient should not be the first time they have considered what to do. The same is true for an industrial worker facing an equipment fault or entering a hazardous area.”

With a headset, trainees can move through a simulated ward or worksite, respond to events and receive feedback on their decisions. They can also review their actions and repeat the exercise.

In a hospital, a simulation could help trainees recognise signs that a patient’s condition is worsening, decide when to escalate care and practise communicating during a handover.

He said: “Hospitals cannot create emergencies for students as a way of teaching them. VR gives teams a controlled setting to practise, pause, review what happened and try again.”

At industrial sites, workers could use simulations to learn facility layouts, identify hazards before entering an area and rehearse equipment isolation procedures. Fires and equipment failures could also be simulated without exposing workers to danger or shutting down machinery.

The technology, however, can only solve a training problem if the scenarios reflect actual procedures and conditions.

Olatunji said: “In a hospital, clinicians need to confirm that the patient scenario reflects sound practice and that the expected response follows approved guidance. At an industrial site, operations and safety teams need to check the equipment layout, hazards and procedures.”

An inaccurate or outdated simulation, he said, could leave workers practising the wrong response.

Research on VR training has also found encouraging results, while pointing to gaps in the evidence. A 2026 review of immersive VR in undergraduate medical education found improved immediate clinical skill performance, but rated the certainty of the evidence as low.

A separate review of safety training in high-risk industries found benefits for practising skills and recognising hazards. It also noted limited evidence on how long those gains last and how well they transfer to the workplace.

Olatunji said employers should treat VR as an addition to practical training, with workers still required to demonstrate competence in real conditions.

“VR can provide additional practice, but it cannot replace supervised, hands-on experience. Competence still has to be demonstrated with real people, equipment and working conditions.”

He advised employers to start with a specific task: staff need more opportunities to practise, define the response they expect and assess whether the simulation improves performance.

“Organisations should begin with a clear training need. Then they can test whether the simulation teaches the right response and check whether workers can apply it on site,” Olatunji added.