Advantages of virtual reality childbirth education

Abstract

Many expectant parents do not prepare enough for childbirth, and not getting a tour of the birthing hospital is causing them unnecessary stress. We enhanced childbirth education with an online virtual reality program for the users to experience what it might be like to give birth in a hospital. In this paper, we report a study that included observational user testing with a virtual reality headset and autonomic testing with the device of the user's choice. Data was collected with a pre-questionnaire, observations from the user tests, a semi-structured interview with the expecting parents, a post-questionnaire, and a follow-up questionnaire. The program improved learning outcomes and offered realistic and concrete birthing examples. Usability was good with the virtual reality headsets, while other devices need more research.