Enhancing Clinical Reasoning and Student Critical Thinking for Patient Safety with Virtual Reality Applications in Nursing Education: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Patient safety is a crucial aspect of healthcare, so nursing students require effective learning methods to develop clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills. Conventional teaching approaches are often less effective, Virtual Reality (VR) technology can be used as a deep and interactive learning solution. This study aims to identify the implementation of virtual reality technology in improving clinical reasoning, and critical thinking of students for patient safety in nursing higher education. Materials and methods: The Systematic Literature Review method was used, involving searching articles from ScienceDirect, Pubmed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar databases from 2019 – 2022. This analysis adopts qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches. The 2,241 articles identified, title and abstract screening was carried out. 46 articles were selected according to the research theme, then 24 articles were conducted in-depth analysis. The results of empirical studies are presented with PRISMA flowcharts. Results: VR serves not only as a tool for understanding learning materials, but also provides an immersive simulation experience to enhance students’ clinical knowledge. This technology allow students to refine their clinical reasoning skills before engaging direct field practice, proving effective in improving critical thinking skills. VR-based simulations enable student to identify and address actions promptly, with realistic visualizations based on real-life situations. Students partisipating in VR-based practicums show significant improvements in understanding patient safety, responding swiflty to emergency situations. Conclusion: The use of VR technology in nursing education hold great potential to enhance clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills, enabling real-life practice scenarios and contributing substantially to improved patient safety.