Evaluation of a virtual objective structured clinical examination in the metaverse (Second Life) to assess the clinical skills in emergency radiology of medical students in Spain: a cross-sectional study

The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is an effective but resource-intensive tool for assessing clinical competence. This study hypothesized that implementing a virtual OSCE in the Second Life (SL) platform in the metaverse as a cost-effective alternative will effectively assess and enhance clinical skills in emergency radiology while being feasible and well-received. The aim was to evaluate a virtual radiology OSCE in SL as a formative assessment, focusing on feasibility, educational impact, and students' perceptions. Two virtual 6-station OSCE rooms dedicated to emergency radiology were developed in SL. Sixth-year medical students completed the OSCE during a 1-hour session in 2022-2023, followed by feedback including a correction checklist, individual scores, and group comparisons. Students completed a questionnaire with Likert-scale questions, a 10-point rating, and open-ended comments. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Student t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test, and qualitative data through thematic analysis.