Effectiveness of 360-degree video materials for enhancing emotional readiness and spatial comprehension in nursing...

Operating room (OR) practice often induces anxiety in nursing students because of its highly specialized environment. Innovative preparatory education is essential to enhance students' emotional readiness and spatial understanding prior to clinical exposure. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of 360-degree video materials in improving emotional and spatial preparedness among nursing students before and after an OR practicum.

This study was conducted in University of Miyazaki and Kyushu University Hospital, and included 61 third-year nursing students undergoing OR practicums between September 2024 and January 2025. Students were sequentially assigned to a 360-degree video group (n = 22) or a control group (n = 25). Emotional responses (interest, enjoyment, excitement, fear, and anxiety), OR practicu-mrelated stress, and spatial comprehension (patient flow, nurse workflow, and equipment layout) were assessed before the practicum, after video viewing, and after the practicum.

No significant differences were observed between the groups at baseline. After viewing the 360-degree video, the proportion of students who reported interest, enjoyment, and excitement increased significantly. These positive emotional responses were enhanced after the practicum. The proportion of students who reported anxiety (before the practicum: 68.1 %; after viewing: 50.0 %; after the practicum: 22.7 %; P = 0.002) significantly decreased following exposure to the video and continued to decrease after the practicum. Empathy toward patients improved progressively (before the practicum: 77.3 %; after viewing: 90.0 %: after the practicum: 100.0 %; P = 0.04). Spatial comprehension improved significantly after video exposure and continued to increase after the practicum.

Integrating 360-degree video into preparatory education effectively enhanced nursing students' emotional readiness and spatial understanding of OR practicums. This approach may contribute to reducing pre-practicum anxiety and facilitate deeper engagement in clinical education.