An Innovative Community Health Nursing Virtual Reality Experience: A Mixed Methods Study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Simulation
• Community Health

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) simulation is an emerging strategy in nursing education, particularly for non-acute care.
• Further research is needed to establish the effectiveness of VR in community health nursing education.
• This study addresses the need for evidence on VR simulation's impact on prelicensure nursing students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel community health nursing VR simulation.
• To assess the impact on prelicensure students' knowledge of social determinants of health (SDOH).
• To measure the influence on students' cultural competence and overall practice readiness.

Main Methods:

• Convergent mixed-methods study involving 100 prelicensure nursing students.
• Administered pre- and posttests assessing knowledge of community health nursing content.
• Utilized the Simulation Effectiveness Tool-Modified (SET-M) for perceived intervention effectiveness.

Main Results:

• A majority of students demonstrated improved scores on posttests compared to pretests.
• Most participants perceived the VR simulation as highly effective.
• Students reported gains in knowledge, skills, and perceived benefits to their nursing practice.

Conclusions:

• The community health nursing VR simulation significantly increased student knowledge.
• The VR simulation enhanced students' confidence in their knowledge and practical abilities.
• This innovative VR tool shows promise for preparing future community health nurses.