Augmented Reality Technology as a Teaching Strategy for Learning Pediatric Asthma Management: Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a major chronic disease affecting 8.6% of children in the United States. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to assess the use of clinical simulation scenarios using augmented reality technology to evaluate learning outcomes for nurse practitioner students studying pediatric asthma management. METHODS: A mixed-methods pilot study was conducted with 2 cohorts of graduate pediatric nurse practitioner students (N=21), with each cohort participating for 2 semesters. RESULTS: Significant improvements in pediatric asthma test scores (P<.001) of student learning were found in both cohorts at posttest in both semesters. Student satisfaction with the augmented reality technology was found to be high. The focus group discussions revealed that the simulation was realistic and helpful for a flipped classroom approach. CONCLUSIONS: The study results suggest augmented reality simulation to be valuable in teaching pediatric asthma management content in graduate nursing education.