Factors Associated With Continuous Use of a Cancer Education Metaverse Platform: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

Abstract

Early detection of cancer and provision of appropriate treatment can increase the cancer cure rate and reduce cancer-related deaths. Early detection requires improving the cancer screening quality of each medical institution and enhancing the capabilities of health professionals through tailored education in each field. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, regional disparities in educational infrastructure emerged, and educational accessibility was restricted. The demand for remote cancer education services to address these issues has increased, and in this study, we considered medical metaverses as a potential means of meeting these needs. In 2022, we used Metaverse Educational Center, developed for the virtual training of health professionals, to train radiologic technologists remotely in mammography positioning.

This study aims to investigate the user experience of the Metaverse Educational Center subplatform and the factors associated with the intention for continuous use by focusing on cases of using the subplatform in a remote mammography positioning training project.

We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional survey between July and December 2022. We performed a descriptive analysis to examine the Metaverse Educational Center user experience and a logistic regression analysis to clarify factors closely related to the intention to use the subplatform continuously. In addition, a supplementary open-ended question was used to obtain feedback from users to improve Metaverse Educational Center.

Responses from 192 Korean participants (male participants: n=16, 8.3%; female participants: n=176, 91.7%) were analyzed. Most participants were satisfied with Metaverse Educational Center (178/192, 92.7%) and wanted to continue using the subplatform in the future (157/192, 81.8%). Less than half of the participants (85/192, 44.3%) had no difficulty in wearing the device. Logistic regression analysis results showed that intention for continuous use was associated with satisfaction (adjusted odds ratio 3.542, 95% CI 1.037-12.097; <i>P</i>=.04), immersion (adjusted odds ratio 2.803, 95% CI 1.201-6.539; <i>P</i>=.02), and no difficulty in wearing the device (adjusted odds ratio 2.020, 95% CI 1.004-4.062; <i>P</i>=.049). However, intention for continuous use was not associated with interest (adjusted odds ratio 0.736, 95% CI 0.303-1.789; <i>P</i>=.50) or perceived ease of use (adjusted odds ratio 1.284, 95% CI 0.614-2.685; <i>P</i>=.51). According to the qualitative feedback, Metaverse Educational Center was useful in cancer education, but the experience of wearing the device and the types and qualities of the content still need to be improved.

Our results demonstrate the positive user experience of Metaverse Educational Center by focusing on cases of using the subplatform in a remote mammography positioning training project. Our results also suggest that improving users’ satisfaction and immersion and ensuring the lack of difficulty in wearing the device may enhance their intention for continuous use of the subplatform.