Training nurses in VR: exploring spatial mapping and free-hand interaction

Virtual Reality can provide an immersive training environment in nursing education, in particular to experience situations that cannot be perceived in the reality. Through a user-centered design process with educators and students from a nursing school, we developed a VR application for asepsis training in a blood sampling scenario. The simulation allows to visualize the contamination risks during the procedures. We conducted three tests and continuously improved the application in order to increase the usability and the feeling of immersion. During the tests, we compared two interaction modalities, two visualizations of the hands and different degrees of immersion (teleportation, or mapping a real simulation room, with the possibility to walk and touch physical elements). These experiments allowed us to draw a conclusion on the level of immersion reached by the new virtual reality technologies and on their possible implication in the practical training of students.