Development of virtual simulation games about wound assessment and management for nurses and nursing students

• Nursing students require competence in assessment and management of wounds. • Co-creation of virtual simulation games by clinical wound care experts and simulation design experts was feasible. • Virtual simulation games are a novel strategy for providing standardized wound care education. Nurses require competency in wound assessment and management, yet evidence indicates nurses’ knowledge in wound care remains inadequate. Additionally, nursing students may not have exposure to many wound types. We proposed virtual simulation games (VSGs) to address these gaps as VSGs are engaging and support development of clinical competence and judgment. Our team of educators, wound care experts, and nursing students co-created 4 VSGs to support wound care education using the Canadian Alliance of Nurse Educators using Simulation (CAN-Sim) VSG design process. Filming of the VSGs was completed using a Go-Pro camera, and VSGs were assembled using Articulate Storyline 360 software. We created 4 VSGs related to assessment and management of pressure injuries, diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and surgical wounds. Usability testing led to improvements in VSG flow, functionality and text. We developed a comprehensive wound care module that nurse educators can implement within their nursing programs. The module is available open access at: https://woundnursing.ca/ .