Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Program for Immediate Newborn Care Training in Nursing Education: A Feasibility Study

Introduction: Nursing education equips students with the skills necessary to navigate the clinical environment. Repetitive training in complex skills ensures patient and student safety. Immersive virtual reality (VR) offers a realistic and safe environment for such repetitive learning processes. However, the feasibility of integrating such technology into the training of immediate newborn care skills remains unexplored. Methods: In this feasibility study, the care procedure for immediate newborn care (INC) was standardized and converted into a VR teaching model. Experts and students were then recruited to assess and evaluate the suitability, usefulness and user-friendliness of the INC-VR model. A total of 35 students were recruited and allocated to a VR learning group and a traditional learning group to evaluate the INC-VR model in terms of knowledge acquisition, skill confidence, performance accuracy, and the time required to complete the INC tasks. Results: Thirteen INC care tasks were transformed into a 15-minute INC-VR model, and the suitability, usefulness, and user-friendliness of the model were validated by both students and experts. Furthermore, students in the VR group demonstrated comparable INC knowledge, confidence, and performance accuracy to those in the traditional group, with a more time-efficient learning framework (10.3 minutes vs. 35 minutes). Discussion: The INC-VR model developed herein can supplement traditional teaching to enhance students' learning. This model could provide an accessible platform for additional practice and remediation, addressing the limitations of real-time skill practice opportunities. Therefore, it may also serve as a valuable reference for other institutions developing similar VR educational tools.