Virtual simulator prototype for teaching natural childbirth care: a validation study.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nursing Simulation
• Virtual Reality in Healthcare

Background:

• Obstetric care requires advanced clinical reasoning and skills, yet training gaps persist.
• Virtual clinical simulation offers a safe, realistic environment for developing essential obstetric skills.
• This study addresses the need for effective training by validating a virtual simulation prototype for natural childbirth care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a virtual simulation prototype for teaching natural childbirth care.
• To assess the content and appearance of a virtual simulation storyboard for obstetric nursing.
• To establish a foundation for the 'Birth Now' virtual simulator.

Main Methods:

• A methodological study involving storyboard construction with two clinical scenarios (normal labor, postpartum hemorrhage).
• Content validation by 26 experts using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) and Agreement Index (AI).
• Appearance validation by 16 obstetric nursing residents using the Instrument for Validation of the Appearance of Educational Technologies in Health (IVAETH).

Main Results:

• The virtual simulation storyboard demonstrated adequacy for educational purposes, receiving positive validation from experts.
• Content validation showed an agreement index greater than 0.90 across six domains, including content, language, graphics, layout, learning, and cultural adaptation.
• Appearance validation by residents yielded an average agreement index greater than 0.80.

Conclusions:

• The validated virtual reality simulation storyboard is adequate as an educational tool for obstetric nursing training.
• High agreement in content and appearance validation supports its use in developing clinical decision-making skills.
• The validated structure serves as a foundation for the future 'Birth Now' virtual simulator.