Exploring the Possibility of Virtual Reality in Nursing Skills Education: A Preliminary Study Using a First-Person Video

摘要

Background: While demonstration videos from a third-person perspective have traditionally been used as teaching materials for nursing skills, first-person videos allow observers to experience how nursing educators move and what they see. In this pilot study, a first-person demonstration video for tracheostomy suctioning skills was shown to participants via a virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD), which we referred to as a VR teaching material (VR-TM). In an intervention experiment, we investigated the effects of the VR-TM on participants’ performance on the skill assessment test. Additionally, usability of the VR-TM was evaluated by questionnaire ratings. Methods: Thirty-six participants (nursing students) were assigned to three groups in the experiment: 1) VR group: the participants that viewed the VR-TM, 2) TR group: the participants that viewed a traditional demonstration video from a third-person perspective, and 3) NO group: the participants that received no intervention. Score changes in the skill assessments of participants before the intervention (pre-test) and after the intervention (post-test) were analyzed. After the experiment, all participants completed a faculty-designed questionnaire about the VR-TM usability. Results: The questionnaire ratings indicated that the participants evaluated the VR-TM favorably in terms of skill understanding and motivation to practice the skill. However, one-third of participants reported mild discomfort during the VR-TM. In regards to score changes in the skill assessment test, no significant difference between the VR and TR groups was identified, though the two groups produced greater score changes compared to the NO group. Conclusion: The combination of first-person video and the HMD might be promising as a teaching material for nursing skills, though further improvements are necessary.