Abstract
Blood transfusion reactions can be life threatening and are rarely encountered by nursing students in clinicals. Simulation has been shown to have a positive impact on transfusion-related competence in nursing students (Brown, C. & Brown, M., 2023). BSN nursing students faced challenges in recognizing and responding to blood transfusion reactions. A Virtual Reality (VR) simulation was introduced as an innovative teaching modality. Virtual Reality provides learners with a more life-like experience that is standardized and safe (Kiegaldie & Shaw, 2023). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether VR simulation, compared to traditional lecture, improves senior-level BSN students' confidence and knowledge in managing blood transfusion reactions. The study involved 55 students enrolled in a Medical-Surgical Nursing II course during Fall 2024. Pre- and post-intervention surveys using the validated Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision-Making (NASC-CDM©) tool were administered to assess changes in anxiety and confidence (White, 2014). Anxiety and confidence can play a role in clinical decision-making for nursing students (Medel et al., 2024). Students participated in a 1-hour-and-45-minute VR simulation. Preparation included pre-work on patient health information, blood transfusion protocols, and critical thinking questions, followed by a structured pre-briefing and debriefing in alignment with INACSL standards of best practice (Watts et al., 2021). The VR simulation was conducted using UbiSim software, with students collaboratively directing care decisions. Debriefing after a simulation is a key element to effective simulation learning (Guerrero, Tungpalan-Castro, & Pingue-Raguini, 2022). The classroom professor used the same standardized debriefing questions for all students participating to facilitate debriefing. Preliminary results indicate a 9.8% improvement in the proportion of students correctly answering a blood transfusion-related question on the VATI exam, demonstrating increased knowledge. Confidence data from the NASC-CDM© surveys will be analyzed by spring 2025. This research highlights VR simulation as a transformative approach to bridging educational gaps in high-stakes, low-frequency clinical scenarios. Exposing students to caring for patients during blood transfusions is critical to ensure they have the knowledge and confidence for best practice of assessments and interventions.
Notes
References:
Brown, C., & Brown, M. (2023). Blood and blood products transfusion errors: what can we do to improve patient safety? British Journal of Nursing, 32(7), 326–332. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2023.32.7.326
Guerrero, J. G., Tungpalan-Castro, G. M., & Pingue-Raguini, M. (2022). Impact of simulation debriefing structure on knowledge and skill acquisition for postgraduate critical care nursing students: three-phase vs. multiphase. BMC Nursing, 21(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-01100-z
Kiegaldie, D., & Shaw, L. (2023). Virtual reality simulation for nursing education: effectiveness and feasibility. BMC Nursing, 22(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01639-5
Medel, D., Cemeli, T., White, K., Contreras-Higuera, W., Jimenez Herrera, M., Torné-Ruiz, A., Bonet, A., & Roca, J. (2024). Clinical decision making: validation of the nursing anxiety and self-confidence with clinical decision making scale (NASC-CDM ©) into Spanish and comparative cross-sectional study in nursing students. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01917-w
Watts, P., Rossler, K., Bowler, F., Miller, C., Charnetski, M., Decker, S., Molloy, M., Persico, L., McMahon, E., McDermott, D., Hallmark, B. (2021). Onward and Upward: Introducing the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best PracticeTM. Clinical Simulation In Nursing, 58, 1 - 4
White, KA. (2014). Development and validation of a tool to measure self-confidence and anxiety in nursing students during clinical decision making. Journal of Nursing Education, 53(1), 14-22. doi:10.3928/01484834-20131118-05
Sigma Membership
Lambda Upsilon at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Simulation, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Nursing Education, Emerging Technologies, Transfusions, Competence, Virtual Reality, Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Recommended Citation
Vaccaro, Kerry; Bodinet, Amanda; and Zak, Concetta, "Leveraging Virtual Reality in Nursing Education to Enhance Confidence and Knowledge" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 41.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/41
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-01
Leveraging Virtual Reality in Nursing Education to Enhance Confidence and Knowledge
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Blood transfusion reactions can be life threatening and are rarely encountered by nursing students in clinicals. Simulation has been shown to have a positive impact on transfusion-related competence in nursing students (Brown, C. & Brown, M., 2023). BSN nursing students faced challenges in recognizing and responding to blood transfusion reactions. A Virtual Reality (VR) simulation was introduced as an innovative teaching modality. Virtual Reality provides learners with a more life-like experience that is standardized and safe (Kiegaldie & Shaw, 2023). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether VR simulation, compared to traditional lecture, improves senior-level BSN students' confidence and knowledge in managing blood transfusion reactions. The study involved 55 students enrolled in a Medical-Surgical Nursing II course during Fall 2024. Pre- and post-intervention surveys using the validated Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision-Making (NASC-CDM©) tool were administered to assess changes in anxiety and confidence (White, 2014). Anxiety and confidence can play a role in clinical decision-making for nursing students (Medel et al., 2024). Students participated in a 1-hour-and-45-minute VR simulation. Preparation included pre-work on patient health information, blood transfusion protocols, and critical thinking questions, followed by a structured pre-briefing and debriefing in alignment with INACSL standards of best practice (Watts et al., 2021). The VR simulation was conducted using UbiSim software, with students collaboratively directing care decisions. Debriefing after a simulation is a key element to effective simulation learning (Guerrero, Tungpalan-Castro, & Pingue-Raguini, 2022). The classroom professor used the same standardized debriefing questions for all students participating to facilitate debriefing. Preliminary results indicate a 9.8% improvement in the proportion of students correctly answering a blood transfusion-related question on the VATI exam, demonstrating increased knowledge. Confidence data from the NASC-CDM© surveys will be analyzed by spring 2025. This research highlights VR simulation as a transformative approach to bridging educational gaps in high-stakes, low-frequency clinical scenarios. Exposing students to caring for patients during blood transfusions is critical to ensure they have the knowledge and confidence for best practice of assessments and interventions.
Description
To address the need for nursing students to care for patients experiencing blood transfusion reactions a virtual reality simulation was implemented. Knowledge and confidence was compared to evaluate the effect of the virtual reality experience compared to traditional lecture. Results demonstrate that knowledge was increased as evidenced by an increase of 9.8 % in percentage of students answering the item correctly.