BACKGROUND
Pressure ulcers (PU) are a common and serious complication in immobile patients in healthcare settings. Nurses play a fundamental role in the prevention of PUs; however, novice nurses lack experience in clinical situations. Virtual reality (VR) is highly conducive to clinical and procedure-focused training because it facilitates simulations.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to explore the feasibility of a novel pressure ulcer VR simulation (PU-VRSim) program for novice nurses and to investigate how learning materials (i.e., VR or lectures) impact learning outcomes and experiences.
METHODS
This mixed-methods, pilot quasi-experimental study included 35 novice nurses categorized into the experimental (n=18) and control (n=17) groups. The experimental group was applied PU nursing program using VR. The nurses in the experimental group were interviewed to evaluate their experience with PU-VRSim.
RESULTS
The pre- and post-test results for each group showed statistically significant improvements in PU knowledge. The experimental group interviews revealed that the VR simulation was realistic and helpful for learning about PU management.
CONCLUSIONS
The results revealed that PU-VRSim can improve novice nurses’ learning of PU management in realistic environments. Further studies using VR for clinical training are recommended for novice nurses.