Does the incorporation of virtual reality simulation into nursing education improve the educational learning outcome and clinical experiences of student nurses?

Abstract

Abstract Background: Virtual reality simulation (VRS) has been shown to be quite beneficial in healthcare, particularly in clinical judgement and patient management. Despite the fact that technology is becoming more common in the workplace, VRS use in fundamental nursing education is limited. However, placing students and newly certified nurses into a technology-driven workplace without sufficient training is risky. This emphasises the critical need for educators to integrate VRS into existing curricula. Objective: To explore and review the evidence for the effectiveness of VRS as an educational strategy in nursing in the development of four learning outcomes: clinical skills, cognitive skills, satisfaction, and self-confidence of nursing students. Method: The purpose of the search strategy, which was based on Cochrane guidelines, was to find the most recent literature in this area. A systematic review of experimental randomised control trials and quasi-experimental studies, published in English, was included. The databases PsycInfo, ERIC, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL and ASSIA were searched between January 2015 and January 2021 by title and abstract from each database. Using the JBI tool, the quality of evidence in the selected studies was appraised. Data extraction and synthesis were carried out for the qualitative approaches as a meta-analysis was unachievable. Results: Eight studies were included in this review; 507 undergraduate nursing students participated. The majority of these studies were carried out in developed countries and focused on nursing students. Methodological heterogeneity and missing data were significant, restricting synthesis and preventing meta-analysis. This review demonstrated that VRS comprises an effective educational strategy for nursing students to gain clinical skills, enhance their cognitive skills and knowledge retention, and raise their self-confidence and satisfaction level. Conclusion: VRS is a new technology with a small weight of evidence that is of varying quality in terms of methodology. This study indicates that VRS strategies should be used in many sectors of nursing education. VRS tends to produce learning outcomes that are comparable to or better than clinical teaching. To increase knowledge of this new field of practice, additional studies and a clarity in definitions are needed. Such studies are needed to justify the cost of investing in this new technology. Further studies are needed to make the transition to life and education online smoother.