Virtual reality simulation to teach communication for undergraduate nursing students: a scoping review

Effective communication critically influences nursing care quality. Developing communication skills requires sustained practice, but conventional training faces implementation barriers. Virtual reality (VR) technology, by generating realistic and controllable clinical environments, possesses inherent advantages for clinical communication training. This scoping review maps evidence on VR simulation for developing communication skills in undergraduate nursing education.

A systematic search was conducted in 8 databases from inception to January 2025: CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE ALL, PsycINFO and ERIC. PubMed was additionally searched to ensure coverage completeness. This review focused on studies on VR simulation as a pedagogical intervention for training communication skills in undergraduate nursing education. Educational settings included academic institutions and clinical environments. Data were extracted and organized using a modified extraction tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) reviewers' manual. Qualitative analysis followed a six-phase thematic framework. We documented the specific study characteristics, VR simulation protocols, key outcomes, and primary conclusions.

Seven studies were included. These studies utilized VR simulation for clinical communication training in pre-clinical undergraduate nursing students. Multiple metrics including communication knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and confidence were quantified to determine the effectiveness of VR-based educational interventions. The findings suggested that VR simulation is potentially effective in enhancing communication skills training for both nurse-patient interactions and interprofessional collaboration. However, scenario fidelity and time-sensitive interaction design require further refinement and enhancement.

VR simulation represents a promising strategy for enhancing communication skills in undergraduate nursing students. To realize its full potential, future work could establish implementation standards and generate further evidence of its long-term efficacy across diverse socioeconomic settings.