Effect of Virtual Reality Training on Novice Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Background: It is very important for nurses, who are an indispensable member of the health care team in the intensive care unit, to be equipped with high-level knowledge and skills in patient care management to improve the quality of patient life. Purpose: This study aimed to develop virtual reality software for intensive care patient care management and examine the effect of this software on novice recruited intensive care nurses. Methods: The randomized controlled study was conducted with a total of 47 nurses. The data of the study were collected with “Nurse Introductory Information Form”, “Knowledge Level Questionnaire”, “Clinical Practice Skills Observation Form”, “Problem Solving Inventory”, “Clinical Decision Making Scale in Nursing” and “State Anxiety Inventory” Results: The mean knowledge scores of the nurses in the control group 1 week and 1 month after the intervention were found to be higher than the pre-intervention measurements (p<0.05). In both groups, the level of problem solving 1 month after the intervention was higher than the measurements before and 1 week after the intervention (p<0.05). Conclusion: Innovative training methods such as virtual reality contributed positively to the short-term problem-solving skills of nurses, but longer-term or repeated applications may be required to measure clinical decision-making and knowledge levels. Clinical trial number: NCT05982288 (Date: 08/07/2023)