Mental Imagery to Enhance Procedural Skills in Peripheral Venous Catheterization: A Randomized Simulation Study in Medical Students.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Procedural skill acquisition is fundamental to medical education, yet training opportunities are increasingly constrained. Mental imagery, a cognitive rehearsal method shown to enhance psychomotor performance in various domains, has gained attention in medical training as a low-cost, safe tool to improve technical proficiency. Evidence remains limited and heterogeneous. Specifically, its application to peripheral venous catheter (PVC) insertion, a frequent and essential clinical procedure, has scarcely been studied.

Methods

In this single-center, open-label, randomized controlled simulation trial, fifth-year medical students from Nîmes University Medical School were randomized to either a mental imagery or control group prior to a simulated PVC insertion on a ma

SUBMITTER: Boulet N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12922665 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature