Mid-career switch nursing students' perceptions and experiences of using immersive virtual reality for clinical skills learning: A mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: There has been an increase of mid-career professionals joining nursing. These adult students possess significant expertise in other areas and may benefit substantially in deliberate practice to acquire skills competency using immersive virtual reality (IVR) for clinical procedures before they practise in actual clinical settings. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to (1) examine the impact of IVR clinical procedures on mid-career switch students in knowledge, game perception and user reaction; (2) to explore the mid-career switch students' perceptions and experiences in using the IVR clinical procedures. DESIGN: A mixed methods feasibility study was used. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study was conducted at a university in Singapore with 34 first-year mid-career switch students. METHODS: This study is a single-group pre-test and post-test experimental study on learning clinical procedures using IVR in the home setting. The study took place from September to November 2021. Focus group discussions were conducted and analysed verbatim using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The students demonstrated significant improvement of knowledge for subcutaneous insulin, but overall, the increase in combined scores for both intravenous therapy and subcutaneous insulin were not statistically significant. Three overarching themes included: 1) Learning and practice, 2) Challenges and barriers, and 3) Personal attributes. Most of the participants found the experiences to be engaging, relevant, and satisfying. Some reported experiencing giddiness, headache, and lack of familiarity with technologies. CONCLUSIONS: IVR simulation can potentially be used as a supplementary learning tool to improve knowledge of clinical procedures in mid-career switch students.

Stressors relating to patient psychological health following stoma surgery: an integrated literature review.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To summarize empirical evidence relating to stressors that may affect patients' psychosocial health following colostomy or ileostomy surgery during hospitalization and after discharge. DATA SOURCES: An extensive search was performed on the CINAHL®, Cochrane Library, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science electronic databases. DATA SYNTHESIS: Eight articles were included with three qualitative and five quantitative research designs. Most studies were conducted in Western nations with one other in Taiwan. Following colostomy or ileostomy surgery, common stressors reported by patients during hospitalization included stoma formation, diagnosis of cancer, and preparation for self-care. After discharge, stressors that patients experienced encompassed adapting to body changes, altered sexuality, and impact on social life and activities. CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests that patients with stomas experience various stressors during hospitalization and after discharge. Additional research is needed for better understanding of patient postoperative experiences to facilitate the provision of appropriate nursing interventions to the stressors. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: To help patients deal with stressors following stoma surgery, nurses may provide pre- and postoperative education regarding the treatment and recovery process and encourage patient self-care. Following discharge, nurses may provide long-term ongoing counseling and support, build social networks among patients with stomas, and implement home visit programs. KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION: Stoma surgery negatively affects patients' physical, psychological, social, and sexual health. Postoperative education programs in clinical settings mostly focus on physical health and underemphasize psychological issues. More pre- and postoperative education programs are needed to help patients cope with stoma stressors.