ROLE OF MODELS, APPROACHES AND LEARNING THEORIES IN THE DESIGN AND PRODUCTION OF EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE BASED ON VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNIQUES AND SIMULATION IN NURSING EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

In the age of information and knowledge, the necessity of using virtual reality
techniques for teaching nursing knowledge and skills, considering the sensitive tasks of nurses, is not
hidden from anyone. Simulation-based educational software with high realism and quality are notable
strategies to limit the risks of nursing education based on traditional method that can improve patient
safety and reduce medical errors. The present study aimed at analyzing the role of models, approaches
and learning theories in the design and production of educational software based on virtual reality
techniques and simulation in nursing.
Materials & Methods: For the purpose of the present systematic review, all articles which were
published from 2000 to 2015, which were related to educational software based on virtual reality in
nursing both in English and Farsi were analyzed. To search for the study, databases such as SID,
CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO Host, Irandoc, Iranmedex, Google Scholar and relevant
journals were used by using key words including education, nursing, theories of learning, software,
simulation-based, computer-based, virtual reality techniques, models and their combinations. Several
steps were taken for selecting and analyzing the full text of these studies. And, the articles which
qualitatively met the inclusion criteria were assessed by using the relevant checklists.
Results: Of the 850 articles that were related to the use of educational software based on virtual reality
techniques and simulation in nursing, 12 articles which were directly related to the purpose of the study
were chosen for further analysis. Of the 12 articles, four articles considered learning as a cognitive
phenomenon. Five articles had used Jefferies simulation model and principles of learning theories.
Conclusion: The study concludes that the educational centers for training skilled nurses need the
educational software based on virtual reality techniques as an educational tool, it seems necessary to
direct the purposes of simulators toward learning based on professional competence paradigm with the
use of simulation models and learning theories