Revolutionizing Mental Health Nursing Education: Virtual Reality Simulation for Understanding and Intervening in Major Depressive Disorder and Suicidal Thoughts.

ABSTRACT: Utilizing Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice™, a virtual reality (VR) platform was created to meet American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essential and Quad Council Public Health competencies. The scenario, involving major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation and alcohol dependency, engages learners in assessing suicide risk, recognizing symptoms, and recommending treatment. Eighty-four prelicensure nursing students have taken part in this mental health VR simulation since spring 2023. Although no significant difference was observed between pre-post knowledge, learners appreciated the VR experience. Student ratings were lowest for how physically demanding the task was and highest for their focus and interest in successfully doing the simulation.

The Application of Fully Immersive Virtual Reality on Reminiscence Interventions for Older Adults: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The increasing number of older adults with mental, behavioral, and memory challenges presents significant public health concerns. Reminiscence is one type of nonpharmacological intervention that can effectively evoke memories, stimulate mental activities, and improve psychological well-being in older adults through a series of discussions on previous experiences. Fully immersive virtual reality (FIVR) may be a useful tool for reminiscence interventions because it uses realistic virtual environments connected to a person's significant past stories. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to examine empirical evidence regarding the application of FIVR in reminiscence interventions, its usability and acceptability, and its effectiveness in assisting the intervention to achieve optimal outcomes. METHODS: We followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach for scoping reviews. The PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, ACM, and IEEE Xplore electronic databases were used for the search. We included peer-reviewed studies that used FIVR as an assistive tool for reminiscence interventions; were published between January 1, 2000, and August 1, 2022; reported empirical research; involved older adults as participants; and addressed health- and behavior-related outcomes or the feasibility and usability of FIVR. We used Endnote X9 to organize the search results and Microsoft Excel for data extraction and synthesis. RESULTS: Of the 806 articles collected from the databases and other resources, 11 were identified. Most of the studies involved participants aged between 70 and 90 years. Only 1 study did not involve those with cognitive impairments, whereas 3 specifically targeted people living with dementia. The results indicated that FIVR reminiscence interventions enhanced engagement and reduced fatigue. Although some studies have observed positive effects on anxiety, apathy, depression, cognitive functions, and caregiver burden reduction, these findings were inconsistent across other research. In addition, FIVR showed overall usability and acceptability with manageable side effects among older adults across various health conditions during reminiscence sessions. However, 1 study reported adverse feelings among participants, triggered by unpleasant memories evoked by the virtual reality content. CONCLUSIONS: The role of FIVR in reminiscence interventions remains nascent, with limited studies evaluating its impacts on older adults. Many of the reviewed studies had notable limitations: small sample sizes, absence of rigorous research design, limited assessment of long-term effects, lack of measures for health and behavior outcomes, and quality of life. Beyond these limitations, this review identified a list of future research directions in 6 categories. On the basis of the review findings, we provide practical recommendations to enhance FIVR reminiscence interventions, covering topics such as virtual reality content, device choice, intervention types, and the role and responsibility of facilitators.

A Framework to Develop an Immersive Virtual Reality Simulation Tool for Postpartum Hemorrhage Management Nurse Training.

ABSTRACT: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Effective nurse training for PPH management can reduce negative health impacts on childbearing women. This article discusses a framework for the development of an innovative immersive virtual reality simulator for PPH management training. The simulator should consist of: 1) a virtual world, including virtual physical and social environments, and simulated patients, and 2) a smart platform, providing automatic instructions, adaptive scenarios, and intelligent performance debriefing and evaluations. This simulator will provide a realistic virtual environment for nurses to practice PPH management and promote women's health.

Developing the Art-Technology Intergenerational Community Program for Older Adults' Health and Social Connectedness.

As the older adult population increases, research investigating how to support their health and well-being has become more urgent. This paper discusses the development of the art-technology intergenerational community (ATIC) program for older adults in Bryan and College Station, Texas. The program's purpose was to help improve older adult's health, well-being, and social connectedness. During the program, participants attended four sessions across 4 weeks, creating interactive art projects such as light-up cards, pop-up cards with light, interactive light painting, and interactive soft circuit ornaments. Preliminary studies allowed researchers to refine making materials by designing easy-to-follow fabricated circuit templates. Participants were able to create interactive art by using various materials such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), copper tape, coin-cell batteries, and conductive thread. A total of 18 participants aged 60-83 participated in the ATIC program. Participants were asked to complete pre- and post-study questionnaires which assessed older adults' subjective health or well-being, feelings of intergenerational connectedness, and attitude about art and technology. Video data were captured for qualitative analysis on the art creation process, cognitive health, and social connectedness of the participants. Our findings show that those who participated in the ATIC program had improved perceptions of their own health and intergenerational relationships. There were also significant differences between pre- and post-study conditions for positive and negative affect. Qualitative results showed that the program participants were engaged in the art-making process and that creations helped to support intergenerational relationships with the student volunteers as well as their own family members.

The Effect of Co-Verbal Remote Touch on Electrodermal Activity and Emotional Response in Dyadic Discourse.

This article explores the affective impact of remote touch when used in conjunction with video telecon. Committed couples were recruited to engage in semi-structured discussions after they watched a video clip that contained emotionally charged moments. They used paired touch input and output devices to send upper-arm squeezes to each other in real-time. Users were not told how to use the devices and were free to define the purpose of their use. We examined how remote touch was used and its impact on skin conductance and affective response. We observed 65 different touch intents, which were classified into broader categories. We employed a series of analyses within a framework of behavioral and experiential timescales. Our findings revealed that remote touches created a change in the overall psychological affective experience and skin conductance response. Only remote touches that were judged to be affective elicited significant changes in EDA measurements. Our study demonstrates the affective power of remote touch in video telecommunication, and that off-the-shelf wearable EDA sensing devices can detect such affective impacts. Our findings pave the way for new species of technologies with real-time feedback support for a range of communicative and special needs such as isolation, stress, and anxiety.

Student perceived impact of a physical, kinetic and interactive model.

Current instructional tools for anatomy education are insufficient scaffolds for learning abstract visual concepts such as basic biomechanics. Diagrams, illustrations and even computer-generated models may be adequate for identification purposes, but are typically not effective when it comes to demonstrating dynamic functions. Evidence from educational concepts, such as the active learning principle in constructivism, indicate that current tools are ineffective due to a lack of opportunity for hands-on or interactive, learning. To address this, our interdisciplinary team designed an instructional model of the canine thoracic limb which is physical, kinetic and interactive. We hypothesised that the unique combination of these three crucial elements would enhance the student learning experience. In order to test this hypothesis, we asked 126 undergraduate students in a biomedical anatomy course to interact with the model. Students were then invited to complete a survey evaluating their experience using the thoracic limb model. Results from completed surveys showed that students perceived the model as easy to use and helpful with understanding basic biomechanical concepts. These results indicate that there is potential for the model to positively impact the students' learning. Future studies will include quantitative evaluation of student performance and cognitive impact in the biomedical anatomy course.