Effectiveness of a virtual reality triage simulation program for nursing students: A mixed-methods study

Aims: To examine the effectiveness of a virtual reality simulation (VRS) triage in improving students' learning motivation, attitudes, satisfaction and learning experiences in an emergency nursing course.

Background: VR facilitates the realization of clinical scenarios that are significant for teaching emergency nursing. Triage presents a unique challenge in emergency nursing courses, where practical learning opportunities are seldom available.

Design: The study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design.

Methods: A total of 164 third-year nursing students were recruited from an emergency nursing course. The experimental group of 73 students participated in a VRS triage program and the control group of 91 students received a traditional program based on written case studies. The learning outcomes were evaluated using the Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction motivational learning inventory together with questionnaires on learning attitudes and satisfaction. Qualitative data were collected through phenomenographic interviews.

Results: The learning outcomes from the experimental group showed significant improvement in motivational learning inventory scores, with the greatest increase in satisfaction, followed by confidence, attention and relevance. Qualitative interviews with 30 students revealed four main themes in their learning experiences: "reflecting a real-world clinical environment," "enabling the internalization of knowledge," "enhancing clinical skills proficiency," and "cultivating a positive attitude toward patient care." The core theme was the establishment of professional core competency.

Conclusions: VRS learning shows positive outcomes in enriching students' learning experiences. This study contributes to the literature on the use of VR technology in nursing education by offering insights into the effectiveness of VRS learning.