Comparing Visual Self-Assessment and Virtual Reality Training for Improving Basic Life Support Competency in Nursing Students: An Educational Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cardiac arrest (CA) is an important medical emergency and a leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an essential basic life support (BLS) and the initial response to CA. The success of resuscitation depends on the skills and performance of rescuers, as well as effective training to enhance knowledge and skills in this area. This study aimed to compare the effects of visual self-assessment (VSA) and virtual reality (VR) training on nursing students' CPR competency. METHODS: This educational study included 54 students who were randomly assigned to one of two groups of VSA and VR and received BLS training. A four-section questionnaire assessed the students' demographic information, knowledge, attitude, and performance related to BLS before the intervention, immediately, and 2 months after the intervention. SPSS 27 and Mann-Whitney U test, independent samples t-test, Friedman test, one-way repeated measures ANOVA, and Wilcoxon post-hoc test were employed for data analyses at a significance level < 0.05 based on normality test results. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 22.61 ± 1.64 years; 32 (59.3%) were female, and 23 (42.6%) were in 5 academic semester. Only 2 months after intervention, the median BLS knowledge score in VSA group was significantly higher than VR group (15 (14-15) vs. 14 (13.75-14)) (p < 0.001). The mean score of BLS attitude significantly increased to 21.03 ± 1.74 (p = 0.02) in the VSA group and to 20.40 ± 1.78 (p = 0.03) in the VR group. However, the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant before (p = 0.442), immediately after (p = 0.079), and 2 months after intervention (p = 0.195). Only at 2 months after intervention, the median BLS performance score in the VSA group was significantly higher than in the VR group (10 (9-10) vs. 9 (9-9)) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the study results, both VSA and VR training were effective in improving the nursing student's knowledge, attitude, and performance of BLS. However, VSA was partially more effective.