Effects of a Virtual Reality Simulation and a Blended Simulation of Care for Pediatric Patient with Asthma

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a virtual reality simulation and a blended simulation on nursing care for children with asthma through an evaluation of critical thinking, problem-solving processes, and clinical performance in both education groups before and after the educational intervention.METHODS: The participants were 48 nursing students. The experimental group (n=22) received a blended simulation, combining a virtual reality simulation and a high-fidelity simulation, while the control group (n=26) received only a virtual reality simulation. Data were collected from February 25 to 28, 2019 and analyzed using SPSS version 25 for Windows.RESULTS: The pretest and posttest results of each group showed statistically significant improvements in critical thinking, problem-solving processes, and clinical performance. In a comparison of the results of the two education groups, the only statistically significant difference was found for critical thinking.CONCLUSION: Simulation-based education in child nursing has continued to involve high-fidelity simulations that are currently run in many programs. However, incorporating a new type of blended simulation, combining a virtual reality simulation and a high-fidelity simulation, into the nursing curriculum may contribute to the further development of nursing education.

The role of small bowel endoscopy in small bowel Crohn's disease: when and how?

Endoscopy has a crucial role in the diagnosis, management, and surveillance of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It contributes in supporting the diagnosis of IBD with the clinical history, physical examination, laboratory findings, and targeted biopsies. Furthermore, endoscopy has a significant role in assessing disease activity and distribution in treatment efficacy evaluation, post-surgical recurrence risk, and cancer surveillance in patients with long-lasting illness. Endoscopy also provides therapeutic potential for the treatment of IBD, especially with stricture dilatation and treatment of bleeding. Small bowel (SB) endoscopy (capsule endoscopy and device-assisted enteroscopy) and cross-sectional radiologic imaging (computed tomography enterography and magnetic resonance enterography) have become important diagnostic options to diagnose and treat patients with SB Crohn's disease. We reviewed the present role of SB endoscopy in patients with SB Crohn's disease.