The use of virtual reality simulation among nursing students and registered nurses: a systematic review
Abstract
Background Due to technological advancements and the current generation being more tech-savvy, the use of virtual worlds in nursing education and clinical practice is increasingly popular. We performed a systematic review on randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies to examine the current evidence on the use of virtual worlds as a teaching tool and to ascertain the outcomes measured.Design Systematic review of randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies.Data sources Six electronic databases (PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and ProQuest) were searched by title and abstract from each database's date of inception to December 2019.Review methods The Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal Tool was used to conduct critical appraisal of the selected articles.Results Eighteen studies were included in the narrative summary. Studies were mostly conducted in developed countries and focused on nursing students. Advantages of virtual worlds include higher time-cost-effectiveness as compared to mannequin-based simulations and face-to-face lectures. Two major disadvantages were technological issues and the lack of realism.Conclusions Among the three learning outcomes (skills-based, cognitive, and affective), virtual worlds are the most effective in improving cognitive outcomes such as theoretical knowledge. This suggests that virtual worlds may be used as an alternative or complementary method to teach theoretical knowledge in nursing education.
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- Authors
- Shorey, S., & Ng, E. D.
- Affiliations
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Corresponding author
- Shorey, Shefaly
- Venue
- Nurse Education Today
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-03
- Volume
- 98
- Pages
- 104662
- ISSN
- 0260-6917 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3101349539
- Cited by
- 377
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 51 · 2025: 86 · 2024: 77 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 9 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 5.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nurse Education Today (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Ministry of Education, Tertiary Research Funds
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Simulation-Based Education in Healthcare
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Surgical Simulation and Training
- Keywords
- virtual reality simulation, nursing education, nursing students, registered nurses, virtual worlds, simulation-based training, teaching aids, cognitive outcomes, affective learning outcomes, mannequin-based simulation, technical challenges, cost-effectiveness
- MeSH terms
- Virtual Reality, Education, Nursing, Humans, Learning, Nurses, Students, Nursing
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