Intention to use Virtual reality technology for clinical training and its predictors among Medical Students in Amhara Regional State Teaching Hospitals, Ethiopia,2024: unified theory of user acceptance technology (UTUAT2) model

Background: Virtual Reality (VR) technology has emerged as a powerful tool with great potential in medical education and training. Virtual reality offers unique opportunities for medical students to improve clinical skills, know rare cases, improve patient safety and improve health outcomes. Despite the growing interest in Virtual reality in medical education, the actual adoption and usage of this technology among medical students in Ethiopia remain relatively unexplored. Therefore, this study assesses the intention to use Virtual reality technology for clinical training and its predictors among medical students in Ethiopia. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted on 946 medical students from May 25 to June 24, 2024, in seven teaching hospitals in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. Proportionally allocated for each hospital and participants was selected using a computer-generated simple random sampling technique. The data were collected in all teaching hospitals through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were done using SPSS version 27. The degree of association was assessed and validated using structural equation modeling using AMOS version 23. Results: about 464(51.4%); 95% CI: [48.2–54.7] of participants have intention to use the Virtual reality technology for clinical training. Performance expectancy (β=0.13, 95% CI: [0.06–0.29], p-value <0.01 ), effort expectancy (β = 0.12, 95% CI: [0.05–0.24], p-value < 0.01), hedonic motivation (β =0.14, 95% CI: [0.09–0.29], p-value < 0.001), attitude (β=0.17, 95% CI [0.1- 0.33], p-value<0.001) and digital literacy (β=0.15, 95% CI: [0.10–0.33], p-value<0.01) had a positive relationship with intention to use virtual reality technology. In addition, attitude had a mediation effect between all constructs and behavioral intention to use. The relationship between hedonic motivation and intention to use virtual reality technology was moderated by gender. Conclusion and recommendation: about half of medical students have intention to use virtual reality technology for clinical training. Intervention on Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, attitude and digital literacy had improved medical students’ intention to use virtual reality technology.