Virtual Reality Education Increases Neurologic Immersion and Empathy in Nursing Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Virtual Reality in Healthcare
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly adopted in education, but its effectiveness compared to traditional methods is debated.
• Current assessments often rely on subjective 'liking' rather than objective measures of engagement and information retention.
• There is a need to evaluate VR's impact on crucial clinical skills like patient interaction understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if virtual reality (VR) improves nursing students' understanding of clinical patient interactions compared to standard 2D video.
• To measure the neurologic immersion and behavioral impact of VR experiences in a simulated patient encounter.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 70 nursing students compared neurologic immersion during a realistic patient journey in VR versus a standard 2D film.
• Neurologic immersion was measured, and participants' willingness to volunteer for peer assistance was assessed as a behavioral outcome.

Main Results:

• Virtual reality (VR) generated 60% more neurologic value compared to the 2D film.
• VR significantly increased empathic concern among nursing students.
• Increased empathic concern positively influenced the decision to volunteer, indicating behavioral impact.

Conclusions:

• Virtual reality (VR) training enhances neurologic immersion and empathic concern in nursing students.
• Empathy is crucial for improving patient care and reducing healthcare provider burnout.
• Sustained neurologic immersion through VR holds significant potential for advancing clinician education.