Effects of Virtual Reality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Practice on the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Nursing Students: A single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT)

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effects of virtual reality (VR) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)—as compared to those of face-to-face Basic Life Support (BLS) education—on nursing students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Methods: Forty-four participants were recruited from nursing schools in Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea, and randomized into two groups: VR CPR (experimental group) and BLS (control group). The participants’ CPR knowledge, cardiac compression quality, self-efficacy, confidence, and attitudes toward education were evaluated. Results: At enrollment, the control and experimental groups showed similar results for all the variables. After the intervention, results showed that the cardiac compression score and the hand position accuracy in the experimental group were significantly higher than in the control group. Meanwhile, knowledge, self-efficacy, and confidence were improved in both groups, though there was no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: The study results showed that VR CPR education is just as effective as face-to-face BLS training for nursing students. Therefore, developing high-quality VR educational content in the future is necessary.