Establish standardized implementation frameworks and conduct multi-center longitudinal studies on VR communication training¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 review), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review concludes that realizing VR's full potential requires establishing standardized implementation frameworks and generating further evidence of long-term efficacy. It recommends multi-center longitudinal studies to assess long-term effectiveness across diverse socioeconomic contexts and to inform evidence-based guidelines for curricular integration. This responds to the finding that most included studies lacked long-term follow-up and came from high-income settings.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Multi-center longitudinal studies assessing long-term effectiveness across diverse socioeconomic contexts

Constraints¶

• The review notes geographic bias, with 6/7 studies from high-income settings, and inability to disaggregate outcomes by discipline in the mixed-profession study

Target Learners¶

• undergraduate nursing students

Target Learning Goals¶

• clinical communication competencies

Claims¶

• Evidence on simulation-based leadership training lacks longitudinal follow-up and objective patient-centered outcomes, limiting causal inference [+W]
• Communication skills training programs improve clinician patient-centeredness, but training approaches are variable and long-term retention is untested [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Develop standardized simulation-based leadership curricula with longitudinal evaluation and multi-center randomized comparison of formats
• Address theoretical grounding, longitudinal study designs, and standardized design protocols before broad implementation of GenAI virtual patients

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Deng Jing, Tan Yifei, Chen Jing, Guo Xiujing, Wang Ling, Xie Chuan. (2025). Virtual reality simulation to teach communication for undergraduate nursing students: a scoping review. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-08450-7