The Effectiveness of a Virtual Game Application Developed to Alleviate the Fear of Nursing Students During Invasive Procedures: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of a virtual game application developed to alleviate the fear that nursing students feel during invasive procedures.<h4>Methods</h4>During the literature review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart was used. The review was limited by the year. A comprehensive search was performed through the [MeSH] keywords (Nursing Students, Virtual Reality, Invasive procedures, Fear) until June 1, 2024, in databases of Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, and Cochrane Library. PROSPERO: CRD42024607117.<h4>Results</h4>Four (36%) studies were randomized controlled trials, and seven (64%) were quasi-experimental. The studies examining the effectiveness of the virtual game practice developed to alleviate the fear that nursing students felt during invasive procedures showed that the interventions were effective. It was found that 55% of the studies in the research were conducted with second graders, and 90% of the studies were intravenous. It was seen that virtual reality simulation was used in 73% of the studies. Although the studies were found to be effective, the results were found to be less significant.<h4>Discussion</h4>The inferences from the study findings led to the belief that the use of virtual reality practice in certain procedures in educational curricula can be effective.