An intervention to improve nursing teamwork using virtual simulation.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Nursing Management
• Human Factors Engineering

Background:

• Effective teamwork is critical for patient safety and quality care in nursing.
• Traditional teamwork training methods may not fully address the complexities of the modern healthcare environment.
• Virtual simulation offers a novel approach to immersive and interactive learning experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual simulation in enhancing teamwork skills among nursing staff.
• To identify specific teamwork subscales that benefit from virtual simulation interventions.
• To provide evidence for the integration of virtual simulation into nursing professional development.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was employed with 43 nursing staff from a single patient care unit.
• Participants engaged in a 1-hour virtual simulation session focused on common nursing teamwork challenges.
• Teamwork scores were assessed using pre- and post-intervention measurements.

Main Results:

• Overall mean teamwork scores significantly improved from pre-intervention (M = 3.25) to post-intervention (M = 3.49, p < .012).
• The virtual simulation intervention demonstrated large and significant effects (0.60 ≤ d ≤ 0.97) on key teamwork subscales.
• Specifically, improvements were noted in trust, team orientation, and backup behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Virtual simulation is an effective tool for improving nursing staff teamwork.
• The intervention positively impacted critical teamwork components such as trust and mutual support.
• This study supports the use of virtual simulation as a valuable strategy for enhancing nursing team performance.