Development of an immersive fall management program for nursing students: A usability study

This study aimed to develop an immersive virtual reality simulation-based fall management program (IVRsim-FMP) for nursing students, and to evaluate its usability and feasibility. IVRsim-FMP was developed following the System Development Life Cycle framework, and progressed through the analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation phases. The preliminary feasibility, system usability, cybersickness, and presence of the program were evaluated by 18 fourth-year nursing students. In the preliminary feasibility assessment, all the participants completed the study procedure. The system usability score was 77.50 (SD = 12.91), indicating an acceptable level; the total cybersickness score was 10.08 (SD = 9.53), suggesting a mild level; and the presence score was 150.94 (SD = 15.41), demonstrating a high level. IVRsim-FMP demonstrated acceptable usability and high immersion, indicating its potential as an educational tool in nursing education for fall prevention and management. This program provides opportunities to practice patient-safety scenarios that are difficult to replicate in clinical environments. The findings suggest that the IVRsim-FMP should be further explored as a training tool for fall prevention and management not only in nursing education but also in professional development for new and experienced nurses.