Virtual reality for delirium: immersive training courses promote empathy and expertise in delirium management among...

The use of virtual reality (VR) for educational purposes offers more complex training experiences than conventional methods. It remains unclear whether a training using a VR delirium application (VR-A), compared to traditional presentation-based training (TPT), has an impact on empathy and delirium-related knowledge among nursing professionals (NP).

Prospective, monocentric quasi-experimental crossover study involving clinically active nursing professionals. Two 45-minute training sessions were delivered in varying sequences (a) or b) first): a) VR-A offering a critical care patient's and nursing perspectives; or b) TPT on delirium. NP completed a delirium knowledge questionnaire and the Saarbrücken Personality Questionnaire Short Form for empathy at three time points: before (T0), after the first (T1), and after the second (T2) training session. Statistical analyses including paired t-tests and time-series analysis were performed.

In total, eighteen NPs participated; n = 12 received VR-A training first, and n = 6 received TPT first. Overall, participation in the training led to a significant increase from T0 to T2 in both empathy (mean difference (MD): 4.94, Standard Deviation (SD): 2.85, r = 0.617, p < 0.001) and knowledge (MD: 3.78, SD: 4.81, r = 0.555, p = 0.004). When VR-A was conducted first, the increase in empathy was greater compared to TPT (MD: 5.75, SD: 2.89, p = 0.003), although no difference in knowledge acquisition was observed to be dependent on the order of the training sessions (MD: 2.0, SD: 0.6, p = 0.732).

A VR-A may increase delirium-specific empathy and knowledge, compared to TPT. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of VR interventions on empathy development and explore optimal strategies for their didactic implementation.

VR-A is a promising tool for fostering empathy for patients with delirium, but the effect of desensitation remains open.