Virtual reality prepares nursing students to care for anxious patients

A study found full-immersion virtual reality simulation reduced nursing students’ anxiety levels when caring for anxious patients. Although anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the U.S., nurses do not feel sufficiently prepared to care for anxious patients, according to the research, published in the September issue of Clinical Simulation in Nursing. The researcher notes nurses who are more at ease treating patients with anxiety will have a more therapeutic nurse-patient relationship. Thirty-three students from two RN programs completed two full immersion virtual reality simulations involving a patient suffering from anxiety. The researcher measured the students’ anxiety levels before and after the simulation. (HealthLeaders Media article, 8/30/23)