VR training leads to better nursing performance than clinical practice, study says

"New research suggests that virtual reality (VR) could enhance the training of future nurses, offering practical experience beyond the walls of inpatient clinics.
The study, conducted by Bethany Cieslowski, an associate professor of nursing at Virginia-based George Mason University, and her team of researchers, found that nursing students who engaged with immersive VR training that simulates common nursing environments were found to perform better overall than students who exclusively received clinical practice.
“The use of VR continues to grow in clinical nursing practice; however, the existing body of evidence on VR, especially immersive virtual reality, is limited,” Cieslowski said in a press release.
The research examined the general effectiveness of an immersive VR simulation training program that could serve as a replacement to pediatric clinical practice. After one control group received typical inpatient clinical training and one intervention group completed simulated VR training, all students underwent an in-person simulation test to compare performance outcomes.
Nursing students who carried out VR training demonstrated higher performance in infection control, initial assessment and oxygen therapy – all subdomains that are tested and scored in nursing schools..." Lire la suite