SynthesisJournal of nursing management2026
Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Simulation on Nursing Students' Learning Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of nursing management, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Simulation on Nursing Students' Learning Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of nursing management · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of community-based tabletop simulation on disaster nursing competency, preparedness, transfer motivation, and self-efficacy: a quasi-experimental study.BMC nursing · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTraditional nursing education faces significant challenges in bridging theoretical knowledge and clinical practice, with clinical placements increasingly constrained by limited availability and patient safety concerns. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) simulation offers unprecedented sensory immersion and spatial presence as a potential solution. However, existing evidence regarding IVR's effectiveness in nursing education remains fragmented and inconclusive.
objectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of IVR simulation on nursing students' learning outcomes using Bloom's taxonomy.
methodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines and included randomized controlled trials comparing IVR simulation with conventional education in nursing students. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and CENTRAL were searched from inception to March 25, 2025. Outcomes were classified into cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains according to Bloom's taxonomy. Random-effects models were applied, with subgroup and sensitivity analyses conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity and identify potential effect modifiers. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) framework.
resultsTwenty RCTs involving 2063 nursing students were included. In the cognitive domain, IVR simulation significantly improved knowledge acquisition (SMD = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.04-0.61); numerical trends suggested stronger effects when debriefing was incorporated, and benefits diminished at follow-up. In the psychomotor domain, IVR simulation did not significantly enhance skill performance (SMD = 0.49, 95% CI: -0.24-1.22), despite a numerical trend favoring the intervention. In the affective domain, IVR simulation significantly improved self-efficacy (SMD = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.04-0.72) but showed no significant effects on satisfaction or confidence. Adverse effects were generally mild and consisted primarily of visual and vestibular symptoms.
conclusionIVR simulation may enhance knowledge acquisition and self-efficacy among nursing students. The importance of debriefing and the need for reinforcement strategies to sustain knowledge gains were highlighted. IVR's effects on skills and other affective outcomes remain inconclusive. Further high-quality RCTs with standardized protocols are required to clarify IVR's role in nursing education.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.