Virtual Reality-based Training for Safe Medication Administration Among Nursing Students

Virtual Reality-based Training for Safe Medication Administration Among Nursing Students: a Randomized Wait-list Crossover Trial

This study evaluated a virtual reality-based training programme designed to support safe medication administration among undergraduate nursing students. Medication administration is a core nursing competency, but students often have limited opportunities to practise medication safety scenarios repeatedly before entering clinical settings. Virtual reality provides an immersive and repeatable simulated environment for practising routine, high-alert, and semi-emergency medication administration scenarios without risk to patients.

Third- and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students at a healthcare university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, were randomly allocated to two groups. Group A received the VR training first, while Group B served as a wait-list comparison group and received the same training later, after crossover. The intervention consisted of three 90-minute sessions, each including pre-briefing, immersive VR simulation, and PEARLS-informed debriefing. Outcomes included confidence in medication administration, self-reported safe medication practice, system usability, and cybersickness symptoms.

Inclusion criteria:

• Enrolled as a third- or fourth-year undergraduate nursing student during the study period
• Aged 18 years or older

Exclusion criteria:

• Health condition contraindicating virtual reality use
• On academic leave during the study period
• Unable to attend the scheduled study sessions