Virtual Reality Applications in Nursing

Abstract

The progress in technological and scientific fields in the 20th century has transformed and shaped the lives of people remarkably. In healthcare, technology can be described as the application of the methods, systems, medicines, devices, vaccines and organized information to improve the quality of life by providing solutions for the needs of both professionals and patients. Besides its potential of reducing fragmentation and costs while increasing the safety, utilization of technology can be considered as the key to achieving a safe, sustainable, and person-centered healthcare environment. Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated three-dimensional interactive environment that stimulates multiple sensory methods. Considering the fact that VR is one of the crucial technological trends of this century, it has the potential of affecting the health industry until 2025 extremely. It is a real-time graphic simulation that includes visual, auditory, and tactile experiences. In the field of health, VR is used for multiple purposes as training of medical students for critical surgeries, education of nursing candidates, and treatment of some diseases. As essential members of the healthcare team, nurses should be a strict follower of the rapidly evolving technology to provide efficient and quality care. The utilization of VR in nursing education has the advantage of decreasing faulty interventions, which enhances patient safety as well as the quality of the healthcare services in the future.