Analysis of Priorities in Developing Virtual Reality Programs for Teaching Core Nursing Skills: Using Borich’s Needs and the Locus for Focus Model (Preprint)

Abstract

There are limitations to conducting face-to-face classes following the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Online education is no longer a temporary form of teaching and learning during unusual events, such as pandemics, but has proven necessary to uphold in parallel with offline education in future. Therefore, it is necessary to scientifically organize the priorities of learner needs analysis by systematically and rationally investigating and analyzing the needs of learners for the development of virtual reality (VR) programs for teaching core nursing skills (CNSs).

The objective of this study was to identify the priorities of learners' needs for the development of VR programs for CNSs using the Locus for Focus Model (LFM) and Borich priority formula.

The participants included nursing students in South Korea who were in their second year or higher and had taken courses in fundamental nursing or CNS-related classes. The survey took place from May 20 to June 25, 2021. A total of 337 completed questionnaires were collected. Of these, 222 were used to conduct the final analysis. The self-report questionnaire consisted of three parts: perception of VR programs, demand for developing VR programs, and general characteristics. The general characteristics of the participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics. To determine the priority of the demand for developing VR programs for CNSs, the LFM and the Borich priority formula were used.

Eight items were identified as being of top priority for development, including intramuscular (IM) injection, intra-dermal (ID) injection, and transfusion therapy. All eight items were found to correspond to more than the middle level of difficulty set by the Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing Education (KABONE), with three corresponding to the higher level of difficulty.

The analysis showed that nursing students generally needed and prioritized the development of VR programs for the nursing skills involving invasive procedures and corresponding to higher difficulty according to the KABONE. The results of this study are intended to help in various practical education classes using VR programs in nursing colleges, which are currently facing difficulties in teaching CNS online owing to COVID-19.