FUNCTIONALITY AND USABILITY OF AN IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR FOR THE PREVENTION OF MEDICATION ERRORS: A PILOT STUDY
Keywords:
Simulation Training; Virtual Reality; Medication Therapy Management; Medication Errors; Nursing StudentsAbstract
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/gt.v9i18.0388
Abstract
Introduction: Medication errors (MEs) represent a major patient safety problem worldwide, and nurses play a fundamental role in their prevention. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) simulation has emerged as an innovative strategy with the potential to enhance learning and contribute to medication error prevention. Objective: To evaluate, through a pilot study, the functionality and usability of a newly developed IVR simulator designed for medication error prevention. Methodology: A descriptive pilot technology evaluation study was conducted. Participants completed a practice session using an IVR simulator focused on teaching the medication administration process. Sociodemographic variables were collected through a data collection form, and the simulator’s functionality and usability were assessed using validated instruments. Results: Twenty fourth-year undergraduate nursing students from a public university in northeastern Mexico participated in the study. Satisfactory levels of simulator functionality were observed, with ratings of good (25%), very good (25%), and excellent (50%). Regarding usability, the simulator obtained a mean score of 69.25, corresponding to a good level. Conclusions: The IVR simulator was well accepted by nursing students, supporting its potential as an educational tool for teaching the medication administration process.
Keywords: Simulation Training; Virtual Reality; Medication Therapy Management; Medication Errors; Nursing Students.
Downloads
References
Organización Mundial de la Salud. Seguridad del paciente. Ginebra: Organización Mundial de la Salud; 2023. Disponible en: https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/patient-safety
Alolayyan M, Azar S, Hamadneh S, Alyahya M, Bawa'neh L. Nurses on the front line: Experiences of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in field hospitals. Jordan J Nurs Res. 2023;2(4):1-9. doi:10.14525/JJNR.v2i4.03
Jessurun JG, Hunfeld NGM, de Roo M, van Onzenoort HAW, van Rosmalen J, van Dijk M, et al. Prevalence and determinants of medication administration errors in clinical wards: A two-centre prospective observational study. J Clin Nurs. 2023;32(1-2):208-220. doi:10.1111/jocn.16215
Wondmieneh A, Alemu W, Tadele N, Demis A. Medication administration errors and contributing factors among nurses: A cross-sectional study in tertiary hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC Nurs. 2020;19:4. doi:10.1186/s12912-020-0397-0
Consejo de Salubridad General, Dirección General de Calidad y Educación en Salud. Acciones esenciales para la seguridad del paciente. Ciudad de México: Gobierno de México; 2023. Disponible en: https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/920141/AESP_CSG-DGCES_16_junio_2023.pdf
Wagner CM, Butcher HK. Clasificación de intervenciones de enfermería (NIC). 8a ed. Elsevier; 2024.
National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention. Taxonomy of medication errors. NCCMERP; 1998. Disponible en: https://www.nccmerp.org/
Marufu TC, Bower R, Hendron E, Manning JC. Nursing interventions to reduce medication errors in paediatrics and neonates: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Pediatr Nurs. 2022;62:e139-e147. doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2021.10.006
Alandajani A, Khalid B, Ng YG, Banakhar M. Knowledge and attitudes regarding medication errors among nurses: A cross-sectional study in major Jeddah hospitals. Nurs Rep. 2022;12(4):1023-1039. doi:10.3390/nursrep12040098
Khan A, Tidman MM. Causes of medication error in nursing. J Med Res Health Sci. 2022;5(1):1753-1764. doi:10.52845/JMRHS/2022-5-1-7
Jarvill M, Neubrander J, Kim M. Nursing student medication administration practice in the clinical setting: A descriptive study. J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(3):137-142. doi:10.3928/01484834-20211128-09
Irvine S, Whiteing N, Andrew S. Assessment of undergraduate nursing students' medication administration competency: A systematic review. Nurse Educ Today. 2025;151:106744. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2025.106744
Pahlavan M, Hosseininia SM. The effects of simulation-based education on medication administration knowledge and performance among nursing students. Curr Res Med Sci. 2024;8(1). doi:10.22088/crms.8.1.50
Dubovi I. Learning with virtual reality simulations: Direct versus vicarious instructional experience. Interact Learn Environ. 2023;31(10):6627-6639. doi:10.1080/10494820.2022.2042313
Mäkinen H, Haavisto E, Havola S, Koivisto JM. Graduating nursing students' user experiences of the immersive virtual reality simulation in learning: A qualitative descriptive study. Nurs Open. 2023;10(5):3210-3219. doi:10.1002/nop2.1571
Saab MM, McCarthy M, O'Mahony B, Cooke E, Hegarty J, Murphy D, et al. Virtual reality simulation in nursing and midwifery education: A usability study. CIN Comput Inform Nurs. 2023;41(10):815-824. doi:10.1097/CIN.0000000000001010
Kim HY. Development and usability assessment of virtual reality- and haptic technology-based educational content for perioperative nursing education. Healthcare (Basel). 2024;12(19):1947. doi:10.3390/healthcare12191947
Manso IA, Gaminde AL, Tíscar-González V, Villanueva Ibero I, Pérez García EA, Arcaraz Arnaiz A, et al. A pilot study to evaluate the usability of an immersive virtual reality application for medical training in acute appendicitis. Rev Esp Educ Med. 2025;6:688741. doi:10.6018/edumed.688741
Diario Oficial de la Federación. Reglamento de la Ley General de Salud en materia de investigación para la salud. México: Cámara de Diputados; 2014. Disponible en: https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/regley/Reg_LGS_MIS.pdf
Parra Sánchez EA. Rúbrica de evaluación de pruebas de funcionalidad del software, siguiendo el plan de pruebas. 2023. Disponible en: https://edtk.co/rbk/29166
Brooke J. SUS—a quick and dirty usability scale. In: Jordan PW, Thomas B, Weerdmeester BA, McClelland IL, editors. Usability evaluation in industry. London: Taylor & Francis; 1996. p. 189-194.
Ratan R, Lin Q, Lim C, Park R, Lover A, Han E, et al. Time matters in VR: Students benefit from longer VR class duration, but certain outcomes decline after 45 minutes, with large individual variance. Comput Educ. 2025;235:105328. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105328
Oh H, Son W. Cybersickness and its severity arising from virtual reality content: A comprehensive study. Sensors (Basel). 2022;22(4):1314. doi:10.3390/s22041314
Castro Mata JM. Funcionalidad y usabilidad del software Planes de Cuidados Individualizados de Enfermería para pacientes con afecciones cardiovasculares [tesis doctoral]. Nuevo León: Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; 2025. Disponible en: http://eprints.uanl.mx/30442/1/1080287068.pdf
Yu D, Dingler T, Velloso E, Gonçalves J. Object selection and manipulation in VR headsets: Research challenges, solutions, and success measurements. ACM Comput Surv. 2024;57(4):1-34. doi:10.1145/3706417
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 GESTAR Arbitrated Scientific Journal in Health Research. ISSN: 2737-6273.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
