Effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Reality in Nursing Education: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND Digital education using immersive virtual reality (VR) technology is available in nursing. Evidence of its effectiveness is essential. PURPOSE This review analyzed the effectiveness of and barriers to using immersive VR in nursing education. METHODS A structured search was performed in PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Database. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument was used to assess the quality of studies. RESULTS The final review was composed of 9 studies of moderate to high quality published between 2018 and 2020. The review indicated that immersive VR increased learning, cognitive, and psychomotor performance. Most participants of the studies preferred using immersive VR in education and with a variety of experiential scenarios. Barriers were associated with technological hardware and software (eg, simulation sickness, lack of visual comfort). CONCLUSION The review supports the viability of immersive VR technology in nursing education.