Virtual reality for preoperative patient education: Impact on satisfaction, usability, and burnout from the perspective of new nurses

Background: Traditional paper-based preoperative patient education is a struggle for new nurses and requires extensive training. In this situation, virtual reality technology can help the new nurses. Despite its potential benefits, there are studies on patient satisfaction but there is limited information on the usability of virtual reality (VR) technology for new nurses in giving preoperative education to patients.

Aim: To investigate the impact on satisfaction, usability, and burnout of a system using VR technology in preoperative patient education.

Methods: The study involved 20 nurses from the plastic surgery ward and 80 patients admitted between April and May 2019. Each nurse taught four patients: Two using traditional verbal education and two using virtual reality. The System Usability Scale, After-Scenario Questionnaire, and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were employed to evaluate the impact of these education methods.

Results: The VR education groups showed a statistically higher satisfaction than the traditional verbal education groups. Among the three subscales of the MBI, emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment improved statistically significantly. VR was also better in terms of usability.

Conclusion: This study suggests VR enhances usability and reduces burnout in nurses, but further research is needed to assess its impact on depersonalization and objective measures like stress and heart rate.