Deteriorating Patient Training Using Nonimmersive Virtual Reality

Abstract

Recent nurse education pedagogical strategies are starting to embrace the use of virtual patient simulations in higher education settings. This study evaluated student, simulation technician, and lecturer perspectives on student performance after virtual training for care of a deteriorating diabetic patient. Second year nursing students learned using a virtual patient simulation, which was a follow-up of a randomized controlled trial that took place during the academic year 2017-2018. Group and individual interviews were conducted comprising the 21 staff and students involved in the virtual reality simulation in four individual lecture sessions. Five themes emerged from this study: engagement, immersion, confidence, knowledge, and challenges. Student participants found that the virtual reality exercise aided their understanding of the complex concepts associated with hypoglycemia, provided immediate feedback about their clinical decisions, could be completed multiple times, and provided more opportunities for safe practice, complimenting their ward and clinical skills experiences. Simulation technicians and lecturing staff also recognized these benefits but identified challenges, including time and cost constraints. We recommend further research into potential benefits and challenges, including likely consequences of increased use of virtual reality technologies for nurse education curriculum design.

Exploring facilitation in virtual simulation in nursing education: A scoping review

“…Eighth studies were randomized controlled trials, 13 were non-randomized studies, 10 used mixed methods, and 10 were qualitative studies. Of the qualitative studies, two employed individual interviews [ 23 , 24 ], three focus group interviews [ [25] , [26] , [27] ], three combined focus groups and individual interviews [ [28] , [29] , [30] ], one analyzed audio-recordings [ 31 ], and one employed stimulated recall interviews [ 32 ]. Of the quantitative and mixed method studies, 11 used self-report questionnaires, 8 had objective measures, such as observation or skills test, and 12 had a combination of both.…”

Assessing the Financial Sustainability of High-Fidelity and Virtual Reality Simulation for Nursing Education

“…15(pp55-56) Virtual reality for nursing education has demonstrated positive educational outcomes, including increased knowledge, confidence, engagement, immersion, clinical reasoning skills, and scenario applicability. [2][3][4]6,7,28,29 Positive examples of VR use for education simulation in other health professions show similar outcomes, highlighting the fidelity and sustainability of VR as an educational modality. 12,[30][31][32][33] Like high-fidelity simulation, the costs associated with a VR simulation program are an important step in determining its value as an educational and professional intervention.…”

“…The hardware associated with VR generally includes a headset, earwear, and hand controllers, as well as a computer to program and manage the scenario 15 . (pp55–56) Virtual reality for nursing education has demonstrated positive educational outcomes, including increased knowledge, confidence, engagement, immersion, clinical reasoning skills, and scenario applicability 2–4,6,7,28,29 . Positive examples of VR use for education simulation in other health professions show similar outcomes, highlighting the fidelity and sustainability of VR as an educational modality 12,30–33 …”

An MDRE approach to promoting students' learning performances in the era of the pandemic: A quasi‐experimental design

“…( 2021 ) also used a mobile application for training learners' skills of taking clinic patients' vital signs. Meanwhile, a mobile virtual reality application for patient training has been used in hospital education (Singleton et al., 2021 ).…”

“…In the past decade, several researchers have attempted to use mobile applications in professional training programs (Bacca et al, 2015;Cattaneo et al, 2015). For example (Singleton et al, 2021).…”