Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a virtual reality (VR) program and simulation training on nursing students’ ability to measure vital signs in children.
Methods This mixed-methods study, which included a randomized controlled trial and a qualitative study, was conducted from June 12 to November 15, 2023. Forty-four nursing students from a university in South Korea were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group first participated in a VR program focused on measuring vital signs in children, followed by a high-fidelity simulation training. The control group received the training in the reverse order. The participants’ knowledge, confidence in practice, and satisfaction with the practice were analyzed using the repeated-measures analysis of variance. VR learning experiences were analyzed through qualitative content analysis.
Results Both the experimental and control groups showed significant increases in knowledge and confidence in practice after the interventions compared to baseline. However, there were no significant differences in changes in knowledge, confidence in practice, and satisfaction with practice between the two groups. Three themes were identified from the nursing students’ experiences with VR learning: ‘realistic learning training,’ ‘overcoming learning limitations,’ and ‘perceiving drawbacks.’
Conclusion The VR program was as effective as high-fidelity simulation training in improving nursing students’ ability to measure children’s vital signs. Moreover, VR program offered additional benefits in addressing limitations of simulation-based learning. These findings suggest that VR program can serve as a valuable educational tool to enhance pediatric nursing skills.
Purpose This pilot study aimed to develop a virtual reality (VR) nursing simulation for pediatric pneumonia care tailored to the Korean clinical context and evaluate its educational effectiveness for nursing students.
Methods A single-group pretest–posttest design was employed with 20 senior nursing students from April to May 2025. The intervention was a 70-minute VR nursing simulation of pediatric pneumonia care, structured with pre-briefing, a main scenario, and debriefing. Data were collected on participants’ knowledge of pediatric pneumonia, clinical judgment (Nursing Clinical Judgment Scale), and simulation effectiveness (Simulation Effectiveness Tool-Modified) before and after the intervention. Usability (User Experience Questionnaire) and qualitative feedback were collected after the intervention. Pre-post comparisons were performed using paired t-tests.
Results The program did not yield a statistically significant change in knowledge scores (p=.893). However, there were significant improvements in the mean scores for clinical judgment (p<.001) and simulation effectiveness (p=.013). A qualitative analysis revealed that, while the participants found the experience immersive and realistic, they also reported operational difficulties, indicating the need for usability improvements.
Conclusion The VR nursing simulation is a promising pedagogical tool for enhancing nursing students’ clinical judgment and perceived learning effectiveness in a Korean pediatric context. The findings suggest that, while the intervention was effective in improving practical reasoning, future iterations should focus on reinforcing knowledge acquisition and optimizing user experience to maximize the educational impact.
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ORGANIZATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN “CLINICAL NURSING IN PEDIATRICS” UNDER WARTIME CONDITIONS ON THE MOODLE PLATFORM: CHALLENGES AND ADAPTATION N. I. Makieieva, M. S. Diachenko, V. E. Domnich, V. V. Andrushchenko, V. A. Koval Медсестринство.2025; (3-4): 54. CrossRef
Purpose We developed a virtual reality (VR) program for use in pediatric nursing practicums to help nursing students learn to measure vital signs in children.
Methods The analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model was employed between July 2021 and December 2021 at a university in South Korea. In the analysis phase, in-depth interviews were conducted with four nursing students, two nursing school graduates, and four experts. The topic and contents of the VR program were settled in the design phase. The VR program was developed and subsequently used and evaluated by 20 nursing students and four experts.
Results The contents of the VR program for pediatric nursing practicums included the measurement of vital signs in a newborn baby and a young child, as well as an evaluation system. The mean score for the nursing students' satisfaction with practice was 4.02 out of 5 points. The mean scores for overall satisfaction with the VR program were 4.15 and 4.79 out of 5 points for nursing students and experts, respectively.
Conclusion The VR program developed in this study allows nursing students to practice measuring vital signs in children, thus improving the students' clinical performance in pediatric nursing.
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Effects of a virtual reality program and simulation training for nursing students on the measurement of vital signs in children: a mixed-methods study in South Korea Sun Nam Park, Hyun Young Koo, Hye Young Hwang Child Health Nursing Research.2025; 31(4): 296. CrossRef
Digital Educational Tools for Undergraduate Nursing Education: A Review of Serious Games, Gamified Applications and Non-Gamified Virtual Reality Simulations/Tools for Nursing Students Vasiliki Eirini Chatzea, Ilias Logothetis, Michail Kalogiannakis, Michael Rovithis, Nikolas Vidakis Information.2024; 15(7): 410. CrossRef
Purpose This systematic literature review and meta-analysis explored extended reality (XR)-based pediatric nursing simulation programs and analyzed their effectiveness.
Methods A literature search was conducted between May 1 and 30, 2022 in the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and CINAHL. The search period was from 2000 to 2022. In total, 6,095 articles were reviewed according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 14 articles were selected for the final content analysis and 10 for the meta-analysis. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and the Comprehensive Meta- Analysis program.
Results XR-based pediatric nursing simulation programs have increased since 2019. Studies using virtual reality with manikins or high-fidelity simulators were the most common, with six studies. The total effect size was statistically significant at 0.84 (95% confidence interval=0.50-1.19, z=4.82, p<.001).
Conclusion Based on the findings, we suggest developing standardized guidelines for the operation of virtual pediatric nursing simulation education and practice. Simultaneously, the application of more sophisticated research designs for effect measurement and the combined applications of various virtual simulation methods are needed to validate the most effective simulation methodology.
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Extended reality technologies in child health education for undergraduate healthcare students: A scoping review Emma Collins, Chris Paton, Steve Gallagher Nurse Education in Practice.2026; 90: 104627. CrossRef
Identifying Research Priorities in Digital Education for Health Care: Umbrella Review and Modified Delphi Method Study Alison Potter, Chris Munsch, Elaine Watson, Emily Hopkins, Sofia Kitromili, Iain Cameron O'Neill, Judy Larbie, Essi Niittymaki, Catriona Ramsay, Joshua Burke, Neil Ralph Journal of Medical Internet Research.2025; 27: e66157. CrossRef
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Effects of a virtual reality program and simulation training for nursing students on the measurement of vital signs in children: a mixed-methods study in South Korea Sun Nam Park, Hyun Young Koo, Hye Young Hwang Child Health Nursing Research.2025; 31(4): 296. CrossRef
Child Nursing Simulation Scenario Content Analysis: A Directed Qualitative Content Analysis Eun Joo Kim, Kyung Mi Cho, Sung Sook Song Clinical Simulation in Nursing.2024; 87: 101488. CrossRef
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Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a virtual reality simulation and a blended simulation on nursing care for children with asthma through an evaluation of critical thinking, problem-solving processes, and clinical performance in both education groups before and after the educational intervention.
Methods The participants were 48 nursing students. The experimental group (n=22) received a blended simulation, combining a virtual reality simulation and a high-fidelity simulation, while the control group (n=26) received only a virtual reality simulation. Data were collected from February 25 to 28, 2019 and analyzed using SPSS version 25 for Windows.
Results The pretest and posttest results of each group showed statistically significant improvements in critical thinking, problem-solving processes, and clinical performance. In a comparison of the results of the two education groups, the only statistically significant difference was found for critical thinking.
Conclusion Simulation-based education in child nursing has continued to involve high-fidelity simulations that are currently run in many programs. However, incorporating a new type of blended simulation, combining a virtual reality simulation and a high-fidelity simulation, into the nursing curriculum may contribute to the further development of nursing education.
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