Development and evaluation of a virtual reality mechanical ventilation education program for nursing students

BACKGROUND: Since COVID-19 limits safe clinical practice settings, virtual reality (VR) emerged as an alternative to practical education. Using VR simulation to learn mechanical ventilation is rare in nursing education. METHODS: This study developed a VR simulation program for mechanical ventilation care and evaluated its effects. We adopted a quasi-experiment design. Participants were fourth-year students across nursing colleges in South Korea. RESULTS: The interaction effect of the intervention time point and control group, to which the VR simulation program was applied, showed a significant difference in self-efficacy (F = 19.54, p < .001) and clinical reasoning capacity (F = 16.97, p < .001). Learning satisfaction of the experimental group was statistically significantly higher than that of the control group(F = 5.22, p = .026). The level of learning immersion (t = − 3.13, p = .003) and learning satisfaction (t = − 3.49, p = .001) were statistically significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: These findings confirmed that the VR stimulation program for nursing students had a positive effect on their self-efficacy, clinical reasoning capacity, and learning satisfaction. Furthermore, it was effective in improving their nursing competence.